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America's 250th Anniversary; Iran Bids Final Farewell to Slain Supreme Leader; Swift-Kelce Nuptials; July 4th Celebrations; Questions Mount over Venezuela's Official Death Toll; U.N. Warns of AI Risks without Effective Safeguards; Prices Higher for Many Goods This Weekend. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired July 04, 2026 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and a very warm welcome to all of our viewers watching from around the world and in the U.S. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Let's get into the headlines.
President Trump is celebrating 250 years of America with a warning. What he says is the biggest threat to freedom today.
And chances are, if you're heading out for holiday festivities, you can expect it to be hot, hot, hot. How some U.S. cities are dealing with the heat dome that is hovering over much of the country.
Plus a nail biting David and Goliath matchup ended one team's run for the World Cup.
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We're going to take a look at the results and the games that are happening today.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from London. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Salma Abdelaziz
ABDELAZIZ: It's going to be a sizzling 250th birthday for America today. Record high temperatures are already affecting celebrations in several cities. Late Friday night, it was announced that the July 4th parade in Washington, D.C., would be cancelled due to the extreme heat.
That's not stopping all of the holiday plans, though. The Great American State Fair will open today at noon on the National Mall. And president Trump is set to speak again tonight after making a speech Friday at Mt. Rushmore.
He is promising to make it a very long speech. It will focus on what makes America exceptional. And the fireworks display that is supposed to follow is planned to be so big that it's going to set a new world record.
A large crowd gathered to hear president Trump speak at Mt. Rushmore on Friday. The monument honors Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
And if Mr. Trump gets his way, his likeness could join them someday. Jeff Zeleny has more from his speech.
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TRUMP: Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty. It is the greatest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor or even 9/11. We're not going to let this happen to us. Believe me, we're not letting it happen because communism is the enemy of free people everywhere, everywhere in the world.
Never works. It's the enemy of the Constitution. Above all, it's the enemy of July 4th, 1776.
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JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: And that was president Trump on the eve of the 4th of July, delivering a warning about what he says is a rising threat of communism in America, offering a pointed preview of perhaps his midterm election message.
But in a very disciplined and even short speech by his standards, only 30 minutes or so, the president stayed very closely to his message, talking about American patriotism and the role in the country.
TRUMP: Tonight, on the threshold of our 25th year, we stand beneath the monument of these heroes, a true group of unbelievable people. And we rededicate ourselves to being a nation as big, bold, noble and as great as these American giants. And that's not easy to do but we're going to do it. These men could only have been made in the USA.
ZELENY: Now the president did not even stick around for the fireworks afterward but there was quite a show before his arrival, for the first time flying that new Air Force One over Mt. Rushmore, giving quite a scene to his supporters on the ground.
And then one flyover after another certainly created the anticipation of him. But he also seemed like he wanted to return to Washington. Of course, a very big day on Saturday as he delivers a major address on the National Mall. The White House concerned about crowds there.
No concern here at Mt. Rushmore. Supporters gathered by the thousands and loved the night.
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ABDELAZIZ: Now last hour, I spoke with Laurel Rapp. She is the director of the U.S. and North Americas Programme at Chatham House.
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LAUREL RAPP, DIRECTOR, U.S. AND NORTH AMERICA PROGRAMME, CHATHAM HOUSE: There are deeper questions here about where the U.S. understands its
role in the world right now, how it understands and interacts with its own history.
It's no surprise that president Trump chose Mt. Rushmore as this place for this speech. He is very adept at scene setting and theatrics. And he has presented a very pure and distilled version of American history here.
The history of Mt. Rushmore is much more complex, built on Native American land by a sculptor who was likely a member of the Ku Klux Klan. But also has these really patriotic strains underpinning them on U.S. power and might and patriotism and freedom.
And so there's so much complexity to where he's speaking. A lot of that gets flattened over. But this is a moment of reflection and uncertainty of where the U.S. is headed and how it interacts with the rest of the world.
ABDELAZIZ: And I want to have a bigger conversation than president Trump because, of course, in the context of 250 years, he is a fraction of American history. And so many of the principles that he espouses or uses to justify his policies are longstanding American ideals -- exceptionalism, isolationism.
How do these values continue to define America today?
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And how are they being wielded to justify policies?
RAPP: For those who say president Trump is an aberration or a blip, they are not students of history. Many of these questions and these views that he has seeded over the last years can be traced back to the origins of the founding fathers of the United States.
There were so many contested debates at the origin 250 years ago of what the U.S.' place in the world should be.
Should the U.S. be a country of broad ties and alliances around the world?
Or should it be more narrowly focused at home?
President George Washington, the first president, said the U.S. should not be tangled in alliances that burden the United States, yoking themselves to other countries' problems and instead solving problems at home.
So that strain is still very much an active debate. Early debates, two of the founding fathers, of how to think about its economy.
Is it a free trading nation? Is it a nation of protectionism and tariffs and trade barriers?
Right. These are questions that still endure today. That is the U.S. going to advance a set of universal values of democracy, of human rights.
Or is it more narrowly focused on interests, core interests and what Americans are getting in very specific ways?
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ABDELAZIZ: Now millions of Americans celebrating the 250th anniversary of the nation's independence are going to do so facing very dangerous heat conditions.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's hot. It's hot. But you know, it's a different heat.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): On Friday, the nation's capital hit 102 degrees Fahrenheit. That's about 38 degrees Celsius. That prompted the Great American State Fair to shut down for a short time.
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ABDELAZIZ: In New York, thousands of people were without electricity because the power grid was so overburdened.
And the heat and humidity are also fueling the risk of severe thunderstorms for millions throughout the Great Lakes and the Northeast. In Philadelphia, the Independence Day parade that was scheduled for Friday was canceled because of these extreme heat conditions.
Millions of mourners are expected to descend on Tehran for a massive days-long funeral honoring the late supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli strike earlier this year. The public portion of his funeral is now officially underway.
The mosque in Tehran, where Khamenei's casket is on display -- you're looking at live pictures of that now -- will open for a contentious 24-hour farewell ceremony. Our CNN Frederik Pleitgen is there in Tehran.
Now a note that CNN operates in Iran only with the permission of the government there. But we maintain full editorial control of our reports.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): As the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran in late February, one of the
first targeted assassination's, Iran's longtime Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed along with several family members in a massive air strike.
More than four months later, Iran is getting ready to hold possibly the largest funeral events in this country's history.
PLEITGEN: Final preparations are underway here at the gigantic Mosalla complex in central Tehran and security in the city is extremely tight as
millions of people are set to show up and pay their final respects.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Tehran is plastered with images of the late supreme leader posters, billboards and even statues on buildings and in public
squares, many vowing revenge against the U.S. and Israel for the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"We don't trust the U.S. for any type of negotiations," this woman says. "Trump is the most bloodthirsty enemy in all the world.
And she says it is our message from here to all the world that all people should stand up, everyone should rise and give the slogan of "Death to the
oppressors, death to America."
This man says, "We do not expect peace from the enemy. Our experience has proven this to us."
After the U.S. and Israel killed the supreme leader and parts of Iran's political and military leadership, Tehran regrouped quickly, naming
Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader who still has not been seen in public since taking the reins and only communicates by
written statements.
Iran also launching powerful missile and drone strikes and effectively shutting down the Strait of Hormuz.
With a shaky ceasefire holding for now, Iran's political and military leaders were some of the first to pay their final respects at the coffins
lying in state.
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Including the president, foreign minister and chief negotiator. Among the caskets, a tiny one containing the remains of Ayatollah Khamenei's granddaughter.
"Without a doubt, this martyrdom has strengthened our resolve," this Revolutionary Guard general says. "Today, with even greater determination,
we address the enemies of the Iranian nation, the United States and the Israeli regime," and say, "We will hold them accountable for the blood of
our martyred leader and all of our martyrs."
Vows of retribution even as both sides negotiators aim to achieve a peace agreement looking to end the decades-long standoff between the U.S. and
Iran.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.
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ABDELAZIZ: I want to go now to CNN's Anna Cooban. She's joining us live from here in London.
Good morning to you. We were just looking at these images, of course, that Frederik Pleitgen is bringing us from inside Iran.
Can you walk us through what it is that we are seeing and what's still to come when it comes to this days-long funeral?
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, as you said there, this is a multi-day event. And just the sheer scale of it is really projecting a symbol of resilience and power for the Iranian regime after four months at war with the U.S. and Israel.
Now what we're expecting to see over the next few days is -- the next two days -- is that Khamenei's body will be lying in state in Tehran. This massive mosque complex and then a funeral procession on Monday, after which -- through Tehran, after which his body will be transported to Qom, a holy city in Iran.
And then on to three holy sites in Iraq before then coming back to Mashhad, where Khamenei was born to lay to rest. And now this transnational affair event is really projecting the idea that Iran's regime, it transcends borders and again, is projecting that symbol of resilience and power.
Now a big question is whether we'll see Mojtaba Khamenei, the supreme leader and the son of the slain former supreme leader -- we haven't seen him since he was wounded in the attack that killed his father, his mother and his wife on February the 28th.
And so big questions have been raised about his health, his well-being and who is actually running the country.
And will he make an appearance over the next few days?
That remains to be seen, Salma.
ABDELAZIZ: And for now, Iranian negotiators have paused talks because of this funeral. But the Strait of Hormuz is supposed to be in the process of opening -- kind of open.
Can you give us an update on where that critical waterway stands?
COOBAN: Well, you're right, there's still some confusion over the status of this waterway. We do know that more ships are coming out than were able to during most of the last four months.
But, of course, there are big question marks about what happens after the 60-day ceasefire ends. Iran has made it clear that it wants to have more control over this waterway than it did prior to the war. There's been many indications about wanting to set up some kind of a tolling system.
Will ships need to move through authorized corridors, that are authorized with the Iranian regime?
Now the U.K. and France have, over the past 24 hours, said that they want to put forward a multinational force to allow for the safe passage of ships. Now Iran has pushed back at that and says that this is not something that they would recognize.
And France and the U.K. saying that Oman supports this mission. We haven't heard from Oman yet. So there's still a lot of tension, a lot of disagreement about the status of this waterway.
What we do know, Salma, is that we desperately need to get those ships out and to get a resumption of normality through this waterway, a fifth of which -- a fifth of the world's oil was traveling through this before this war started.
ABDELAZIZ: And Iran in mourning while a critical waterway continues to hang in the balance. Anna Cooban in London, thank you for that breakdown.
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ABDELAZIZ: There is no break from deadly Russian attacks on Ukraine. Officials say the city of Zaporizhzhya was hit on Friday and two people were killed, 17 others were wounded. Six more people were killed in other parts of the country.
The attacks came on the heels of Thursday's massive strikes on Kyiv, which left at least 30 people dead. This was the third deadliest attack on the capital this year.
We're going to be right back after a short break.
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ABDELAZIZ: The celebrations are over at New York's Madison Square Garden after Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce exchanged their "I do"s on Friday night. The celebrity couple tied the knot in a star-studded ceremony in front of about 1,000 people.
There was reportedly a very strict no-phone policy at the event but CNN's Ivan Rodriguez managed to get us a few details about the wedding.
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IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're outside of Madison Square Garden and the billboard behind me says it all, "JUST&T MARRIED" with that emphasis on T&T, Travis and Taylor.
We just got a release from Taylor Swift's publicist as well, saying that the bride and groom's wedding ceremony looks have been created by Christian Dior. And we're also getting some insight into what the ceremony looked like inside of Madison Square Garden.
It also reads Taylor and Travis did not have bridesmaids or groomsmen. Instead, her brother, Austin Swift, served as Taylor's man of honor and Jason Kelce was Travis' best man. Jason Kelce is Travis Kelce's brother.
It goes on to say that the ceremony joined both families together and was officiated by friend Adam Sandler. So look, there was a lot of rumors going into this ceremony -- if it was real, if it was a hoax.
We have it there, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift have now been officially married inside of Madison Square Garden. Into what looks like the rest of the night, we're going to have a party, from what we understand, that will go into the early morning hours, possibly all the way until 2 am.
Earlier today, we also saw a long line of black SUVs making their way inside Madison Square Garden. We know that there was anticipated to be more than 1,000 guests. In previous interviews, Taylor Swift had said that the most stressful part of planning a wedding was the guest list.
Well, she was able to fit everybody that she wanted to for this wedding ceremony inside of MSG.
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In New York, I'm Ivan Rodriguez.
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ABDELAZIZ: The final day of this World Cup round of 32 ended in triumph and, of course, heartache as three more teams have survived to advance.
Egypt made history, defeating Australia in a penalty shootout after drawing 1-1. The Pharaohs walked away with their first-ever victory in a knockout round. Colombia also advanced, beating Ghana 1-0 with an early goal backed by fierce defensive play and extending their unbeaten streak to four matches so far in this World Cup.
And Argentina will also be moving on to the round of 16 after surviving a very intense battle against fan favorite Cape Verde. Cape Verde standout goalkeeper took a moment to express just how much his team has to be proud of.
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VOZINHA, CAPE VERDE GOALKEEPER (through translator): It was a great campaign. Obviously we're saddened by the result but the team should be proud and satisfied with what we achieved to get this far.
We have a fantastic group, we have players of great quality and we have done justice to Cape Verde's name into this national team around the world. Today we went toe-to-toe with Argentina, fighting on equal terms for a result but we couldn't get it. That's football.
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ABDELAZIZ: Our Elizabeth Perez has more on that very incredible game between Argentina and Cape Verde.
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ELIZABETH PEREZ, CNN EN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: Cape Verde came to Miami as David. They left as giants. They pushed the defending world champions to the limit. Argentina earned a hard-fought 3-2 win over the African side. Cape Verde forced the Albiceleste into extra time.
Their defenders stood strong. They attacked with confidence and tested Emiliano Martinez again and again. Lionel Messi gave Argentina the lead in the first half after a brilliant pass from Lisandro Martinez. At that point, they looked in control.
But early in the second half, Duarte scored for Cape Verde. The goal changed the game. Argentina had to push harder while the African team stayed organized and resisted every attack. Their efforts sent the match into extra time.
Lisandro Martinez scored first in the extra time to put Argentina back in front, then Sidny Cabral produced a stunning goal to level the match again and he set up an emotional second period of extra time.
Cristian Romero finally broke the tie. Argentina had to suffer until the final whistle but they held on for the win. Now the (INAUDIBLE) moves on to Atlanta, where they will face Egypt in the round of 16 -- from Miami Gardens, I'm Elizabeth Perez.
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ABDELAZIZ: Now here in England and Wales, they are extending bar hours for an upcoming World Cup game. The British prime minister says that pubs and bars across both countries will be allowed to stay open until 5:00 in the morning on Monday.
That means fans can watch England's round of 16 clash against Mexico at their local on Sunday night in Mexico City. It kicks off when it is 1:00 in the morning on Monday here in the U.K.
The World Cup's round of 16 kicks off later today. Host country Canada will play Morocco in Houston, Texas. It will be Canada's first ever appearance in a round of 16 match.
And Paraguay is going to face off against France in Philadelphia. That is the city where America's Declaration of Independence was adopted 250 years ago today.
Now despite the soaring temperatures, the show must go on. Americans across the U.S. are doing all they can to celebrate this 4th of July in the face of sweltering heat.
And the first American pope is spending the 4th of July with migrants. Ahead, we'll have a live report for you from Lampedusa.
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ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Welcome back. I'm Salma Abdelaziz. Let's check some of today's top stories.
Right now Iranians are gathering for the funeral of the late supreme leader. The casket of ayatollah Ali Khamenei was unveiled to the public a short time ago beneath a glass case at a large mosque in Tehran. Days of ceremonies are planned across five cities in both Iran and Iraq.
And it is officially the 4th of July in America. A day of celebrating will mark this 250th anniversary. President Trump started things off with a speech at Mt. Rushmore on Friday. There was also a large fireworks display.
Meanwhile, extreme heat is forcing changes to July 4th plans in many parts of the U.S. The parade in Washington, D.C., was canceled due to expected high temperatures. The Great American State Fair on the National Mall is still on but it will now open at noon; that is, two hours later.
Temperatures hit over 100 degrees at times in Philadelphia yesterday, with the heat expected to continue throughout the July 4th weekend. Despite the soaring temperatures, many are pressing ahead with their celebration plans as Danny Freeman explains.
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DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was an incredibly busy day here in Philadelphia on the 3rd of July, on Independence Day Eve for a number of different reasons.
But the celebrations were a bit impacted, to say the least, by the intense heat that was felt here and across the Northeast.
The big headline that came out of Philadelphia on Friday was that the big parade that we were going to hold, that was going to go right back here behind me. That was canceled earlier in the day because of that extreme heat. Really bummed a lot of people out.
There were going to be people from all over the country marching in that parade. The silver lining, though, is that people in the city were able to adjust and some folks actually came out here to Independence Mall to actually perform some of the things that they had been on the parade.
Here's the other silver lining right here. You're looking at it. While a concert last night with Queen Latifah was canceled, there's a concert that's happening on Friday night featuring Idina Menzel that is expected to occur. And the Philly Pops are expected to perform as well.
And there are still people outside who are enjoying the holiday weekend even despite that heat. The heat was pretty intense, over 100 degrees at times on Friday. But then as we got into the evening hours, it did start to cool off.
But again, that heat is going to be just as oppressive on the 4th of July here in Philadelphia and across the Northeast. A lot of people in the city of Philadelphia crossing their fingers that the big concert that is expected to happen on Saturday evening goes off without a hitch.
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But the city, still under that heat health emergency, still encouraging people to stay indoors, stay cool if they can and keep, keep, keep drinking water. As for me, my main cooling system here is this tiny fan. It works OK but, for now, Danny Freeman, CNN, Philadelphia.
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ABDELAZIZ: Now staying in Philadelphia, that is where Pope Leo made a virtual appearance there on Friday to accept the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center. The medal was presented at Independence Hall.
This is where America's founding fathers declared independence from Great Britain 250 years ago. Speaking from the Vatican, the pope highlighted the enduring principles laid out in the country's founding documents.
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POPE LEO XIV, PONTIFF, ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH: And the principles we have reflected upon today, a shared human dignity, equality and the rights laid out in the Declaration of Independence, ever be a source of such unity and a guiding light for the present moment and for the years to come. In accepting this award, I therefore pray that this, the 250th anniversary of the founding of this great nation, may be the occasion of a solemn recommitment to these ideals that have made America a country that values peace and prosperity, a country characterized by generosity and nobility of heart.
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ABDELAZIZ: Now Pope Leo is spending the July 4th holiday in Lampedusa. It is a small island in Italy that is often at the very center of Mediterranean migrant crossings. For more on all of this, we are joined by our Vatican correspondent, Christopher Lamb, who is live right now from Lampedusa.
We were just hearing the pope speak there as he was accepting that medal. He's, of course, in Lampedusa. And he's also issued a letter on July 4th.
What is it that the first American pope is communicating to his birth nation on America's 250th birthday, Chris?
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Salma, Pope Leo has arrived in Lampedusa. He's celebrating a mass here.
And soon after landing in Lampedusa, the Vatican released a letter that the pope has written to the United States for the 250th anniversary, where he calls on Americans to welcome, protect and assist migrants immigrants, whose hopes, sacrifice and contribution have formed part of the history of this country from its very beginning.
So I think it's very significant and symbolic that the pope comes to Lampedusa, which is, of course, a major entry point for migrants coming in to Europe and, at the same time, releases this message to Americans.
And I think his visit is not just about what's happening in Europe and in Italy but it has global ramifications. And Leo is essentially saying to the United States on this Independence Day that immigration has been a part of U.S. history, that the Americans, American people have a long history of welcoming new arrivals.
And that should not be forgotten. And that's something that he also mentioned in that July 3rd virtual address from the Vatican that you reported on.
So we're hearing that very strongly from Pope Leo today on July 4th here in Lampedusa, the importance of welcoming immigrants and not to forget the contribution that immigration has made to countries like the United States and he believes can still make.
I think Pope Leo also isn't in Lampedusa to make a just a political message; he also is saying that the church has to be on the front lines, helping immigrants, regardless of the legal questions or the political questions. People who arrive in a country who risk their lives in doing so need
to be treated with dignity. And that's something I think he wants to strongly emphasize today. Salma.
ABDELAZIZ: Christopher Lamb there on the very direct message that Pope Leo is issuing to his birth nation on July 4th, welcome, migrants. Welcome, immigrants. Thank you so much, Chris.
Nine days after two earthquakes devastated Venezuela, the government says that the death toll has now climbed to more than 2,600 people. At least 12,000 people have been wounded and more than 15,000 homes have been lost.
But critics say that these numbers could be much higher. Authorities have not said how many people remain missing.
And new video shows the moment that rescuers pulled a security guard, Hernan Gil, from the rubble of a collapsed building. On Thursday, Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez later visited him in hospital and praised the rescue.
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DELCY RODRIGUEZ, ACTING PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA (through translator): Well, here you are. You are the living miracle, like a camera. It was like a camera where you could see it.
Then they told him, look up. There. I saw his red eye.
HERNAN GIL, EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR (through translator): Vicente, a rescuer worker, gave me strength.
RODRIGUEZ (through translator): From Chile?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, Chile. Some worker from where you worked in galleries in Playa Grande said he heard something, but no rescue group believed him. And the Costa Rican Red Cross accompanied him to where he believed he had heard something. But no rescue group believed him.
The Venezuelan Red Cross ambulance waiting for you there for four days and the doctors, hundreds of people. In those three days, there was a group from the United States, from Portugal, El Salvador, Chile.
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ABDELAZIZ: It is no secret that AI technology is evolving faster than ever. When we come back, an industry expert will share with us whether that technology is outpacing our ability to control it.
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ABDELAZIZ: The United Nations has issued a new warning about artificial intelligence. A panel of independent scientists and experts from around the world released a report this week saying that the rapid rate of advancement in AI creates new risks for human rights, social systems and the environment.
The panel raised concerns about how this new technology could be abused by bad actors and warned that there are no effective safeguards currently in place to protect people and governments from potential harm.
U.N. secretary general Antonio Guterres saying, in part, the world cannot govern what it cannot understand.
I want to bring in Bilal Mateen. He is the chief AI officer at PATH. This is a global nonprofit dedicated to achieving health equity.
Good morning, first of all, to you. Thank you so much for making the time to be here with us. I'm so fascinated by this U.N. report.
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It talks about how AI could exacerbate inequality across the globe if a framework for governance is not established.
What do you make of the U.N.'s premise but also the framework that it's proposing here?
Do you agree with it or do you have an alternative solution that you would prefer?
BILAL MATEEN, CHIEF AI OFFICER, PATH: First, thank you so much for having me here. It's a genuine privilege to answer your question and I want to be careful because I am a member of the panel myself. And I think what the report is trying to do is communicate the urgency of the challenge, right?
The speed at which this technology is changing, the speed at which it's advancing, the capabilities coming online, I think, are to some degree worrisome. They do and have already demonstrated risk of harm.
But at the same time, when we talk about catastrophic harm, we're not just talking about misuse; we're talking about missed opportunities for use, leaving out the global majority, creating inequitable benefits around the world. And that's really also what we're trying to drive home, right?
We must think about access. We must think about sovereign capabilities. And what's unique about the panel is that our mandate doesn't explicitly -- doesn't include creating, opining or prescribing policy, right?
We were there to bring together and we still are the best state to create a state of the art summary of the evidence, to help inform member states so that they can make decisions. One of our brilliant co-chairs, Maria Ressa, sat in the General
Assembly in plenary a few weeks ago and was asked the same question by member states, which was, so what do we do with the evidence that you've given us?
What are the policies we should be implementing?
And her answer, which I think will be mine today, is we're not going to absolve member states of that responsibility. That's their job to figure out. We're they're to give them the best science. We're there to give them the facts so that they can cut through the hype, so they can cut through the fearmongering.
But we really do need them to come together as elected representatives of their nations to make those decisions.
ABDELAZIZ: But that's leaving a lot on the table, of course, to not only expect that governments come up with policy, that they understand how quickly AI is moving, keep up with it but also coordinate because that's what the U.N. report is ultimately saying, is that this needs to be a coordinated global effort.
And I know the report was trying to draw this balance. It didn't want to, you know, paint a dystopia but it also wanted to remind us that the risks are very real.
Could you take me into the future and just paint me two different pictures here?
I know you can't give me policy.
But what does the world look like if AI is governed?
How can it benefit humanity?
And what would it look like if it is not?
MATEEN: A world in which it's governed is a world in which we have equitable benefits and access. Right. Let's talk about some of the numbers.
The concentration of cloud compute capacity in the world today, 60 percent of the world's cloud compute capacity, which is one of the critical resources that drives AI development and implementation, is concentrated in a single nation, the United States.
When you broaden the aperture slightly and you think about where the rest of it is, you get up to about 80 percent of the world's concentration between the U.S. and China. Right?
A critical resource that drives innovation is available to the rest of the world if they're willing to build dependence on two nations but currently it isn't accessible to them in a sovereign manner. Right. That's one of our critical concerns.
What it looks like to govern that and bill access mechanisms around it is a hard conversation. I don't think there's a single right answer. I think this is going to be protracted, complicated negotiations between countries.
And really that -- we're not trying to shirk responsibility. We're trying to respect the fact that member states have created a parallel process. We convene in Geneva on Monday as part of the global dialogue on AI governance, which is the member state-led parallel process, which we're there to inform. Right.
We intend to show up. We intend to engage with member states and to tell them what we're seeing, to show them the examples of countries that seem to be realizing a positive future versus one that, with the same technology, seem to be realizing negative outcomes. Right.
But what we can't say is that definitively we have the right answer for what a governed world looks like.
ABDELAZIZ: And very quickly here, because, unfortunately, we are running out of time, I want you to give me one thing that you think that AI could benefit humanity and it might be a potential benefit we don't know about.
And what is the most negative thing, the biggest risk that you are concerned about?
One for each.
MATEEN: The positive thing -- I'm a physician by training, so, of course, I'm going to go with the health (INAUDIBLE).
I'm so excited by the opportunity, the ability to read mammograms and diagnose breast cancer faster, the ability to improve the quality of care delivered by community health workers and front line health care workers in sub-Saharan Africa. We're seeing genuine advancements in the ability to deliver on that promise.
[05:45:00]
We haven't yet realized it at scale but we're getting there.
The thing I'm most worried about is -- I keep coming back to this issue. I was born in Pakistan and I'm not technically the representative of Pakistan. But that's the country that I'm tagged with because that's where I was born.
I'm genuinely worried about the global majority being left out. I'm worried that if we do realize benefit it will be concentrated in the hands of the few. And I don't think that's acceptable.
ABDELAZIZ: Bilal Mateen there on the hopes and fears of a future with AI. Thank you so much.
Artificial intelligence grabs most of the headlines in the tech world these days but the digital economy as a whole is going strong. There's no better example than the lucrative field of online clipping. Clippers distribute social media content taken from others, rather
than creating their own. And some of them have even become millionaires. Bijan Hosseini has more for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: So I'm scrolling through my TikTok account and I came across this video. It shows Ryan Garcia, a pretty famous
boxer with Ashton Hall, who is a pretty famous influencer. But if you look really closely at this video, you'll notice that it wasn't posted by either
of them. It was posted by someone else entirely.
And that person took this clip, they put on their own headline and they posted it as their own. This is what's known as a clipper. And for every
view this video gets, they're getting paid for it.
MUSA MUSTAFA, CLIPPER: Every single day you're scrolling, you've got thousands of hours of screen time, you're making me rich. In the last 90
days, I've made over $54,000.
HOSSEINI: This is Musa and he claims to be one of the most popular clippers alive. At just 19 years old, he made his first million .
Now at 23, he tells me that the money he's made is a lot higher.
What's going on, man?
HOSSEINI: What's up, man?
Bijan. If you had to put a number on how much money you've made from clipping.
MUSTAFA: Oh, man, like we're talking top line revenue. Easily over $30 million, like easily.
HOSSEINI: Musa tells me when he first started clipping, he was getting paid directly by the creators themselves. But the industry is really advancing.
And so, now, you get websites like this. This is a content rewards platform. And it basically shows you all of the live clipping campaigns
right now. And you have everything from casinos to artists and musicians to influencers. If you look closely at all of these campaigns, they're being
run by companies in the middle. I sat down with the founder of Propaganda, which is right here, Eddie Cumberbatch to kind of find out where the industry is headed.
EDDIE CUMBERBATCH, CO-FOUNDER, PROPAGANDA MEDIA: I run one of the biggest clipping agencies in the world, propaganda media. And in the last few
weeks, we've posted over 43,000 clips. From that we generated 318 million views.
HOSSEINI: Is this killing traditional marketing firms?
CUMBERBATCH: 100 percent. But once there's been so many case studies and pieces of data to show that like this really is the best way to market
anything, the bigger companies are now willing to hop on this.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): According to PwC, more than a trillion dollars was spent on global advertising last year. Eddie's banking that a third of that
will ship to social media and clipping over the next decade. Big brands, musicians, artists, AI startups, even tourism boards are jumping on the
trend. And the budgets aren't small either.
CUMBERBATCH: This company is running a $250,000 campaign. This company is running a $249,000 campaign.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): Most campaigns pay out $1 or $1.50 for every 1,000 views. And Musa says even on a bad day, the math adds up.
MUSTAFA: The average video and takes all gets like 2,700 views roughly, on average. And that's obviously accounting for 100 million viewed videos and
the 200 million viewed videos. But the average is 2,700.
Now if you get a thousand views per video and you post the 100 videos in a day, you'll get 100,000 views, which is $3,000 a month, which is $36,000 a
year, which is your salary.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): The clipping industry has drawn its fair share of criticism as well, mainly for clippers reposting content without permission
and for inflated view counts that can be bought rather than earned. Eddie says his platform and many others run fraud detection to catch clippers who
try to fake their numbers. Even Instagram has taken notice. In April, their company head posted this warning. ADAM MOSSERI, HEAD OF INSTAGRAM: So if most of what you post to Instagram is someone else's content, your account is no longer going to be
recommendable.
HOSSEINI: Does any of that worry you that kind of the success rests in the hands of like these few companies?
CUMBERBATCH: No, there's always going to be like workarounds and like allegedly there was like some change made to Instagram last month. We have
not seen anything. Instagram makes money off of like ad revenue. The more time people spend watching on their platform, the more money they make.
This is simply helping them.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): Clipping has become a side hustle for some and a full-time job for others. But for Musa, it's become something else
entirely.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABDELAZIZ: America is celebrating its 250th birthday today.
[05:50:00]
But many Americans will see higher prices this year for some 4th of July favorites. Our business reporter David Goldman will take a look at the costs next.
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ABDELAZIZ: Ringing in America's 250th birthday will likely cost a lot more this year, amid rising prices for many goods. CNN business senior reporter David Goldman takes a look at the soaring costs of hosting your own 4th of July festivities.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: All right. I am really excited to celebrate the 4th of July, as you can tell. And I've got a big barbecue coming. Look at this. I got hot dogs, hamburgers. I've got snacks and pickles and rolls. I am really, really excited to celebrate America's 250th with my neighborhood.
But you know what?
I've been thinking a lot about higher grocery prices lately. I've been writing a lot about that, reporting on that. Let's take a look and see what this menu is going to cost me.
And, oh no, beef prices are up 12 percent over the past year. Hot dog prices 7.7 percent and hamburger prices 12.1 percent.
You know what?
This is going to cost me quite a bit of money. Maybe I can celebrate in a different way.
[05:55:00]
You know how I really like to celebrate?
Fireworks, yes. I think that that's going to be a fun way to celebrate.
Let's take a look at fireworks prices and, oh, no, $1,000 per minute?
OK. Yes. So that is how much your town's fireworks show it costs. They are really expensive, like $20,000- $30,000 expensive. Maybe that's not for me. That is definitely too rich for my blood. Let's take a look at celebrating a different way.
I'm just going to go away for the weekend. All right. Let's take a look and see what that is going to do. Oh, right. The war with Iran drove gas prices up 21 percent from the last July 4th. Now this has come down a lot over the past few weeks. But it's still a lot higher than it was last year.
And you know what?
There's going to be about 70 million people traveling this weekend. So maybe I'm going to skip this all together. I will stay home. And I think the way that I'm going to celebrate is by drinking. OK. So let's take a look at good old fashioned Kentucky bourbon. Yes. All right.
Good, -0.2 percent. There's some savings for you. Since last July 4th, alcohol prices have come down. And so I think that might be my best bet. But however you are celebrating, I hope everyone has a happy 4th of July. Happy birthday, America; 250, congratulations. I hope everyone is celebrating safely at home. Back to you
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABDELAZIZ: Now as America celebrates its historic 250th anniversary, CNN is going to bring you nonstop live coverage of the landmark milestone.
Throughout the day, our anchors and correspondents will report from major celebrations across the nation, featuring musical performances and firework displays from coast to coast.
Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. "CNN THIS MORNING" is up next.
