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U.S. Retaliates Against Iran After Service Members Killed; Spain And Argentina Prepare To Face Off In Today's Final; Russia Reels From Kyiv's Deadliest Strikes In Over Two Years. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired July 19, 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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[05:00:19]

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of our viewers watching in the United States and around the world. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Let's get into the headlines.

The U.S. military has launched fresh strikes on Iran. This is after the killing of two American service members. We're going to have a live report for you from Jerusalem and a look at how the Gulf States are impacted by the conflict.

We're also getting new details about an ICE agent connected to this week's fatal shooting in Maine.

Plus, Spain against Argentina with the FIFA World Cup trophy on the line. We have a preview today, highly anticipated final matchup.

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is "CNN NEWSROOM" with Salma Abdelaziz.

ABDELAZIZ: The eighth consecutive night of strikes against Iran has been completed, according to U.S. Central Command. Iranian state media reported several explosions earlier across the port city of Bandar Abbas and an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz.

Now, an Iranian official says at least 50 people have been killed just in the past three weeks. CENTCOM says the latest strikes were carried out in retaliation for Iranian attacks that killed two U.S. service members in Jordan.

And some news just coming in to CNN now. Sirens rang out in Bahrain this morning, with that Gulf country against coming under fire. Bahrain's interior ministry says this is the seventh time in less than 48 hours that sirens have been set off there. CNN's Julia Benbrook has more on the hostilities.

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JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This comes after there had already been days of escalation. For seven consecutive nights, the U.S. carried out strikes, and there were waves of Iranian drones and missiles fired at a widening number of targets in countries with U.S. bases. It also comes after CENTCOM said that two U.S. service members had been killed in action in Jordan and that one service member was still missing. They also said that four American service members were medically evacuated and taken to Jordanian hospitals. They have since been discharged. They are withholding some information at this time, as they are working to notify next of kin.

Now, this comes just about a week after Iran had targeted ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump said that he believed that the ceasefire was over. It also comes about a month after there was hope for this diplomatic breakthrough. Both the United States and Iran had signed the Memorandum of Understanding to kick off a 60-day time period for more technical talks.

Recently, though, Trump has said that, in his opinion, the Memorandum of Understanding is, quote, "over as well." So, what's next here? We do know, according to sources familiar with the matter, that Trump has been presented with options for expanding military operations in Iran. That came before the news that these two service members had been killed and that there was a Situation Room meeting that centered around how to loosen Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz, that critical waterway.

As far as how Americans are responding, a recent "Washington Post- Ipsos" poll found that just 29 percent approve of how Trump has handled the conflict in Iran.

Traveling with the president in New Jersey, Julia Benbrook, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: I want to bring in now our International Diplomatic Editor, Nic Robertson. He's joining us from Jerusalem.

Hello again to you, Nic. So, is the MOU, the Memorandum of Understanding here, completely collapsed? Are we just tiptoeing towards war, especially after the death of those two U.S. service members?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I think it's effectively collapsed in terms of this was a document that was supposed to provide a way for the United States and Iran to agree what was going to happen to Iran's enriched uranium and its uranium enrichment program going forward, its highly enriched uranium stockpiles, that is.

And so, nothing seems to be happening on that front at all. And the real focus is in some of the points that were at the top of that Memorandum of Understanding, which was both sides were going to give all shipping free access through the Strait of Hormuz. That's not happening. Far from it. Both sides have reimposed their blockade.

So, for all intents and purposes, this document is not in active service, if you will. We heard from the supreme leader in Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, in a written statement yesterday saying that he doesn't trust President Trump's signature. He thinks it's worthless. [05:05:13]

So, I mean, from the very top down in Iran, it is clear this MOU has been pushed off to one side. I don't think it means that it can't become a document in the future. But the longer -- that it can be worked on diplomatically, but the longer this conflict goes on and the more that it increasingly focuses over dominance and actual real control of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran wants to maintain, the MOU sort of just begins to fade into the background. And it's sort of -- that's the process where we're at.

I was talking to somebody in Bahrain who was telling me about those incoming missile alerts that you just mentioned there. That's ongoing. And I think it was less than an hour or two hours earlier, it was Kuwait that was facing Iran's incoming missiles. And this was after the United States strikes again along the Strait of Hormuz, Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, the sites of the U.S. attacks there.

These are important sort of nodes, if you will, military but commercial spots along the Strait of Hormuz. If the United States is going to deter Iran from trying to interdict maritime traffic there, that's just one of the sort of spots that it has been targeting, is targeting. I think perhaps what we saw last night was -- at least from the reporting that we see at the moment -- was not a massive night. Iran didn't attack seven different nations, as it had done two nights previously. And the United States strikes didn't reach Bushehr, as far as we know, which is an important base for Iran. But for the MOU, yeah, that's on the backseat at the moment.

ABDELAZIZ: Nic Robertson there on diplomacy, that is on the backseat amid those escalating tensions. Thank you so much.

After days of soaring temperatures, New York City was hit with heavy rain on Saturday, when thunderstorms swept through the region. Two to four inches of rain by early afternoon triggered significant flooding, as the National Weather Service issued a flood watch for all five boroughs. You're looking at video which shows the streets of New York just submerged as rain pounced down. It got so intense, in fact, that Yankees-Dodgers baseball game had to be rescheduled. Ground stops were issued for LaGuardia, Kennedy and New York airports. And this is on the eve of the World Cup final. It caused flight delays and cancellations.

Nearby New Jersey was also hit by the weather. You're looking at a man who is trying to get out of his truck, which was stuck in high water. Hundreds of forest fires are also burning in Canada. This is firefighters scramble to control whatever they can. U.S. President Donald Trump has blamed his northern neighbor for what he calls willful negligence, polluting the air in the U.S. through bad forestry practices, even threatening to impose more tariffs on Canada.

Smoke from the outbreaks has blanketed parts of the Northeast, putting more than 100 million Americans in 18 states under air quality alerts. Doug Ford, who is the Premier of Ontario, where many of the fires are burning, called President Trump's threats "unacceptable."

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DOUG FORD, ONTARIO PREMIER: I find it a shame the administration in the U.S. and congresspeople writing these letters and blaming us and so on and so forth. They have a very short, short memory. We had the water bombers, everyone ready, going over to California. It was last year. We sent down hydro linemen down to the Carolinas and Georgia to help out. That's what neighbors do, right? You don't get on and start threatening and criticizing because guess what? One day it's going to be your turn.

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ABDELAZIZ: The world's greatest soccer players will face off in New Jersey later today as Spain and Argentina battle it out for the World Cup title. The match will take place at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, that is 8 p.m. here in London.

Meanwhile, England has created some history of its own. They beat France six to four in the bronze match on Saturday, bringing the country its best World Cup result in 60 years. Their early goals and tenacious offense set the tone and left France struggling to catch up with the score of Ornella at halftime. France wasn't going to let that go unanswered. They were helped by star forward Kylian Mbappe whose two goals in the second half broke Lionel Messi's all-time World Cup scoring record. But even that was not enough to stop England from winning the match and the World Cup bronze.

[05:10:08]

Johnny Dutch is the host of the podcast "The Thing About Arsenal." He joins me now from London. Good morning, first of all, to you, Johnny. I have to talk about the match last night because it's the match that no one wants to watch and no one wants to play, right? But it might have been the most exciting game of the entire tournament. A hat trick from Saka, you know, highest scoring game of the tournament. Massive win for England. What was that team that we saw on the pitch yesterday? Were they capable of beating Argentina? What switched there for England?

JONNY DUTCH, PODCAST HOST, "THE THING ABOUT ARSENAL": Good morning, Salma. Yeah, well, you look at Saka scoring a hat trick last night and you think to yourself, he didn't get on the pitch against Argentina. And he played a full 94 minutes last night. So, you think, well, what could have been? But a lot of pride was restored. I was in the fan parks watching the England-Argentina semifinal on Wednesday.

And I left that fan park with a lot of disappointment. I was gutted after that, as was everyone around me. So, I feel it was important to leave the tournament on a bit of a high note. And last night, I was considering not watching it. And I'm very fortunate that I did because it was a lot of fun. And like I say, to score six goals in a World Cup game, you can't complain about that.

ABDELAZIZ: I love to hear that a bit of hope was restored. But now let's focus on tonight, Spain-Argentina. Given the tactical discipline that we've seen on both sides here, is this going to become a, let me just say, boring game, cautious, highly technical? Or do you think it will be exciting?

DUTCH: After last night, it's going to be typical that the final doesn't live up to that. But I feel like, yeah, it probably will start like that. It's going to be a highly technical game. You've got, you know, the spectacular sort of methodical elegance of Spain against the heart and the grit of Argentina. So, I think we're going to see a similar first half to what we did in the England-Argentina semifinal. Very cagey.

But once it opens up, I expect Spain to get ahead and stretch their legs, really. Because, you know, for as good as Argentina have been this tournament, they've roped their luck a lot. And I feel like their luck might run out tonight. I think Spain are just, as I've mentioned to you, Sam, they were my pre-tournament favorites, and they are so good.

And I feel like Yamal, actually, has been getting progressively better. Coming off the injury they had at the back of last season, he's coming into form more and more, and he's a big-star moments player. He's only 19, and he's already played a European Championship final and a World Cup final now. But he likes big moments, and I think he might be decisive later.

ABDELAZIZ: And I love how you top-line those two teams. Spain with tactical elegance, Argentina with heart and grit, repeatedly surviving under pressure in these last-minute saves. Which of these two qualities will win out tonight?

DUTCH: I think, look, you know, you can't write off Argentina. We've seen it all tournament. They have overcome some insurmountable challenges throughout. And so, you know, you could say the momentum's with them, and you've got Messi, and you never count out Messi. But, like we said, like we saw in the Spain-France semi-final, good teams, and they're both good teams, but good teams, well-structured, organized, disciplined, with a high technical level like Spain, I think eventually, that always, nine times out of ten, that wins. And I expect Spain, with that midfield of Rodri, Ruiz and Olmo, which has been amazing the last couple of games, I think they will be able to pass, eventually pass Argentina out of the game.

So, I expect them to, not to be a procession, but I expect Spain to win by a couple of goals later, once it opens up in the second half.

ABDELAZIZ: And this is being framed as the battle between Messi and Yamal, perhaps because it's such a good story, right? And we journalists love a good story, right? And that picture of him as a baby is just so perfect. But is there more to this battle than those two players?

DUTCH: There is. There is more. It is going to come down to the midfields, and I've got to say, a lot of attention was given to Messi the other night for how he dragged Argentina back in, but the midfield, Enzo Fernandez, Rodrigo De Paul, those players really, that is where the heart and the engine of the team really is.

So, it's going to be midfields against midfields, but on nights like today, this is the biggest moment in sport. It only comes around every four years. The stars show up. Messi's proved it. We saw it four years ago in Qatar, where Messi and Mbappe both shone, and they decided the game, essentially. I expect it tonight, and I do feel, like I say, that Yamal has been warming and moving towards this moment, and he is that sort of superstar. I think the torch finally gets passed tonight from Messi to Yamal.

[05:15:11]

ABDELAZIZ: Ooh, that's a prediction there. The torch being passed from Messi to Yamal.

Johnny Dutch, you'll be watching. Thank you so much.

DUTCH: Thank you.

ABDELAZIZ: Ukraine's capital takes a pounding after Russia launched one of the largest ballistic missile strikes since the war began. Still ahead, a live report on the attack, which left fires and damage throughout the city.

Plus, Iran warns it is ready to step up strikes on its Gulf neighbors still to come this hour. How the U.S.-Iran war could explode into a wider regional conflict.

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ABDELAZIZ: Ukraine's capital is trying to get back on its feet after being rattled by explosions for hours overnight. Russia launched one of its largest ballistic missile strikes since the war began. Officials say at least one person was killed and 16 others wounded. The strike caused fire and damage in multiple parts of the city. And the attack came on the heels of Ukraine's deadliest strikes on Russia in more than two years.

[05:20:01]

Officials say Ukrainian drones struck two commercial warehouses. Kyiv says they were being used for military purposes. And Moscow says at least eight people were killed and more than 60 others were injured in that attack.

I want to go now to Rome, where Barbie Nadeau is standing by. Tell us what the latest is here. What are you learning?

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: This was just a relentless attack on the Ukrainian capital. We understand 40 missiles raining down in less than two hours causing fires in residential areas and including a shopping center.

Now, this comes on the heels of that twin drone attack deep inside Russian territory on Saturday. Eight people killed as these retail centers were struck that Ukraine says were part of a drone manufacturing operation. Changing the strategy. Ukraine had previously only really attacked energy, infrastructure and maritime assets. All of this really underscores what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been saying about Russia's attitude towards this. That they have no intention of ending the war anytime soon. Let's listen to what he had to say about the Russian President.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Russia has long had the opportunity to turn to diplomacy and end its aggression. It is the Russian leadership's refusal and its desire to continue fighting that are the reasons this war goes on. This year alone, we have approached Russia dozens of times with proposals to stop the war. The response has always been rejection. Our partners are working to help organize a meeting between the leaders. The United States, Turkey, other European countries and Arab leaders. Putin has no desire to end the war.

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LATZA NADEAU: And Russia says they're not done yet in terms of the retaliation. Now it remains to be seen whether Ukraine has the capability to again attack deep inside Russia. And if that will bring these two sides anywhere closer to negotiations and anywhere closer to peace.

Salma?

ABDELAZIZ: Barbie Nadeau there with the latest on those attacks in Ukraine. Thank you very much.

Earlier we spoke with CNN Contributor Jill Dougherty who is now an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. And we asked her to explain the significance of those warehouse strikes that were deep inside Russia.

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JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR, RUSSIAN AFFAIRS: The significance, if you look at some of that video, which we've had on air, is massive. That was a hit at two different locations near Moscow. Essentially, this is kind of like the Amazon of Russia.

And so, this being hit like that and having all of this out there in public is really a problem for the Kremlin. There's no hiding this. You can't take this off social media. So, it's quite significant. Again, militarily and I think societally, you can say definitely this has affected people. Russians know about it.

Some of them are living through it. It's out on social media. And yet it's hard to really define or quantify how this will affect their support for the war or for Putin.

And now we do know from polls and polls are not particularly, you know, reliable in a wartime situation. But still, the popularity or the trust polling for Putin is diminishing somewhat. So, that is having an effect. But we don't know exactly how much of an effect. But it is.

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ABDELAZIZ: Online influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate have been arrested in Miami. We're going to explain the charges being brought against them, next.

Plus new details about the ICE agent connected to this week's fatal shooting in Maine.

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[05:27:29]

ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back. I'm Salma Abdelaziz. Let's check some of today's top stories.

Kyiv is dealing with the aftermath after one of Russia's largest ballistic missile strikes of the war. Ukraine says Moscow launched more than 40 missiles and over 100 drones overnight, killing at least one person. Sixteen others were injured in the capital.

U.S. Central Command says two service members were killed and one is missing in action after Iranian strikes in Jordan. These are the first American fatalities in the Iran war since March. Video released by Iranian state media shows missiles being launched, allegedly targeting U.S. military assets in Jordan. U.S. military announced it has completed the eighth consecutive night of strikes against Iran.

CENTCOM says American military assets targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces that launched deadly attacks against those U.S. service members. An Iranian official says at least 50 people have now been killed in the past three weeks. And as we mentioned earlier, sirens rang out in Bahrain this morning with that Gulf country yet again coming under fire.

I want to bring in now Hasan Alhasan. He is a Senior Fellow for Middle East Policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He is with us this morning from Bahrain.

Good morning, first of all, to you. We've just been speaking about how sirens were ringing out in Bahrain today because of this incoming firepower from Tehran. It must feel like peace is losing out this week after, you know, eight days of American airstrikes, retaliation from Iran. Now you have these U.S. soldiers that have been killed. Does it feel in Bahrain and across the region like war is coming back? And how are families dealing with that?

DR. HASAN ALHASAN, SENIOR FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EAST POLICY, IISS: Oh, absolutely. It does feel as though we are very much back to the -- or at least we're edging towards the high-intensity phase of this conflict. And that obviously is a source of great anxiety.

The conflict is now on a self-sustaining escalatory spiral, especially following the deaths of the U.S. two U.S. service members in Jordan, because clearly the U.S. will feel the need to avenge them. But I think the most worrying aspect, the most worrying trend we're seeing currently play out is the targeting both by the U.S. and by Iran of vital life-sustaining civilian infrastructure, namely power stations and water desalination units. And without those, life becomes very difficult for millions of people who have to endure arid conditions in temperatures ranging, you know, 40 to 50 degrees Celsius.

[05:30:15]

And so, really I think this is one of the most worrying trends. And we've seen an uptick in U.S. attacks against Iranian infrastructure and Iranian attacks against water desalination units and power stations in Kuwait, in the UAE and elsewhere in the Gulf. And obviously, this is a source of great anxiety and frustration.

ABDELAZIZ: Does this make these attacks, this response, this revenge from Iran, which is obviously being carried out by Iran for its ties to Washington, as you just mentioned, civilian infrastructure now being hit in the Gulf as well, does that make Gulf countries rethink their relationship with D.C.? Because there's, of course, a double- edged sword here, right? The U.S. has security guarantees. That draws fire. But also, Gulf states need America for air defense capabilities. How are they balancing that relationship now with Washington?

ALHASAN: That's right. I think the Gulf states are in a very difficult and delicate situation vis-a-vis their relations with Washington. On the one hand, the U.S. has essentially entrapped them in a war, in a confrontation with Iran that they absolutely did not want and were actively trying to avert. The Qataris, the Omanis, the Saudis, the Emiratis and others had tried to mediate a diplomatic resolution to U.S.-Iranian differences that would help prevent this damaging outcome.

And I think there is a clear sense in the region that the U.S. has relatively deprioritized the defense of the Arabian Peninsula of the Arab Gulf states by comparison, for example, to the lengths to which it has gone to ensure the defense of Israel. The U.S. has shoulder -- shouldered a significant degree of the burden of defending Israel, whereas the Arab Gulf states were, to a large extent, left to fend for themselves at the time when the U.S. dispersed its forces away from the region and stationed much of its firepower in the eastern Mediterranean and in the Red Sea.

And so, this is a real dilemma, because as you correctly pointed out, it's not as though the Gulf states have very clear alternatives. The Arab Gulf states will remain dependent on the U.S. for the provision of munitions, interceptors, including Patriots and other systems that are going to be vital for defending their territories against Iranian attacks. So, it is a very difficult situation.

They have signed enhanced security agreements with regional partners like Pakistan. But again, these countries don't necessarily have the political willingness or even the ability to intervene in a very significant manner on the side of the Gulf states. There isn't a clear alternative in the short run.

One obvious solution, but which is politically very difficult, is for them to band together and to achieve a greater degree of coordination and integration on air and missile defenses. But lingering distrust and historic difficulties have so far prevented this among the Gulf states. So, there isn't really a very clear path ahead for them.

ABDELAZIZ: Let's talk about that, if you don't mind me interrupting you here. Let's talk about that idea of unity, because of course the Gulf is not a monolith here. And Iran is very aware that it is much easier to divide and conquer rather than have the Gulf united.

And when you look at the attacks that have been carried out in the last few weeks, at first the firepower was focused on Bahrain and Kuwait. That now seems to be expanding to Qatar, Oman and Jordan. The UAE, Saudi Arabia have been spared. Is Iran working here to try to exploit those divisions? Is unity going to falter in the face of this strategy?

ALHASAN: I think Iran has absolutely pursued a divide and conquer strategy vis-a-vis the Gulf states. And as you suggested, you see this in the pattern of attacks. And so Bahrain and Kuwait, which are two of the smallest, most vulnerable Gulf states, have borne the brunt of Iran's attacks. Their ability to retaliate against Iran is also severely limited.

And so, Iran sees them as a convenient target to send signals to the United States without really risking a massive retaliation, say by the UAE or Saudi Arabia. So, there is a pattern of discriminatory attacks. There are side deals being concluded by the Gulf states individually with Iran. So, all of this chips away at Gulf unity and obviously has a detrimental effect on their collective ability to defend themselves and to be able to influence the outcome of this conflict.

[05:35:08]

ABDELAZIZ: Hasan Alhasan there on a Gulf that is reeling from a war that U.S., as you said, did not choose, did not want and fought very hard to stop. Thank you so much.

U.S. Marshals in Miami have arrested online influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate following an extradition request from the U.K. Andrew Tate faces 42 charges. These include rape, human trafficking, assault and possessing indecent images of a child, according to the U.K.'s Crown Prosecution Service. Officials say Tristan faces 17 charges. The brothers' attorney says the men are innocent and have criticized the U.K.'s extradition attempt. Now, both Tate brothers have dual U.S. and British citizenship.

A U.S. immigration and custom enforcement officer connected to a deadly shooting in Maine once told a judge that he suffered a debilitating cognitive issue after a head injury, that is, in court documents that have been reviewed by CNN. David Brouillette filed a lawsuit in 2023 against a community college where he was training to become a professional firefighter two years prior. He claimed that a heavy steel eye beam fell on him during the training and that he sustained a laceration and a concussion and lasting injuries that include, quote, "impaired memory and cognitive deficits." Brouillette said the injuries were debilitating, kept him from completing the course and affected his daily life. But somehow, two years after he filed the lawsuit, he was working as an ICE officer.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino explains how these new details raise questions about the vetting process for federal immigration officers.

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GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And we're getting a much fuller picture about who this officer is now that we have confirmed that David Brouillette was among the officers in the scene in Biddeford, Maine, where an ICE officer fatally shot Joan Sebastian Duran Guerrero. This is all according to two of his ex-wives who reviewed photos and spoke with CNN.

Now, we should mention that CNN has not independently confirmed whether Brouillette was the officer who discharged the weapon killing Duran Guerrero, and investigators have not publicly identified the officer who shot the victim. Federal sources have separately confirmed to CNN that Brouillette is an ICE officer.

The Department of Homeland Security has declined to comment on the identity of the officer, and they have said that the officer used deadly force because they feared for public safety.

Now, we have been trying to gather details to get a fuller picture about who Brouillette is. My colleagues Michael Williams, Kurt Devine and Priscilla Alvarez have been combing through public documents. And what has emerged is a troubling picture that raises serious questions about how ICE is doing its training and its officer vetting as they race to meet the demands of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

One of Brouillette's ex-wives and one of his daughters also told CNN that he contacted them days after the shooting and said that he had opened fire. Both said he told them that he thought the shooting was justified.

Now, here's some of what we have learned. In 2023, Brouillette told a court in Maine that he had suffered lingering cognitive issues after he suffered a serious head injury when a steel beam fell on his head during a training exercise for a firefighting certificate. He sued the Maine Community College system because of that injury, but it was just two years after he filed that that he started working for ICE.

Brouillette's ex-wives also described a history of alleged domestic abuse and intimidation, all of this in court filings, where he denies the allegations, and we have not been able to confirm any criminal convictions or charges.

We also reached out to Brouillette, and he did not respond to several requests for comments.

We should mention Duran Guerrero's killing was the second time that an ICE officer shot and killed an immigrant behind the wheel in the span of just a week, and it's the fourth killing this year alone by federal immigration authorities.

Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.

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ABDELAZIZ: A Cuban dissident is finally free after spending five years in prison. Still to come, a look at where he's starting a life in exile and how he got there.

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[05:42:57]

ABDELAZIZ: The founder of India's Cockroach Janta Party has started his own hunger strike in solidarity with another social activist whose fasting had landed him in a Delhi hospital. While Abhijeet Dipke spoke, a woman in the crowd threw ink at him. Activists say they'll march to India's parliament this week to seek reforms to the country's exam system.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk began his hunger strike on June 28th. Doctors say his condition is now stable. Protesters want the nation's education minister to resign partly because a leaked medical school exam affected millions of students.

A high-profile Cuban dissident is starting a new life in the United States after negotiations between Washington and Havana. CNN's Patrick Oppmann has more on his story from the Cuban capital.

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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: Prominent Cuban dissident and artist, Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, arrived in Miami on Saturday following five years in Cuban prison. He has been one of the most high-profile political prisoners on this island, according to human rights groups. Otero Alcantara, as an artist, sort of lived to annoy the Cuban government. The Cuban government did not like his performance art that involved the Cuban flag. They said it was violating the law.

But it was really his participation in the largest anti-government protest five years ago that we've ever seen on this island that landed Otero in jail here. It led to his five-year stint in prison. And for human rights groups, they said this was a clear sign of someone who was being jailed, being persecuted for their political beliefs and that he was a prisoner of conscience.

The Cuban government had denied that and said that he was someone who simply showed disrespect to authorities. Family members have told us that they were concerned that in July he finished his sentence, and that he should have been released from prison and he was not. But what we've learned over the last several days is there's been a constant back and forth between Cuban and U.S. authorities.

That's from a U.S. embassy official here in Havana who says that it was the U.S. and Cuba negotiating exile for Otero that would allow him to go to the United States. He has said previously that he wanted to go to the U.S. and be able to pursue his art career there. [05:45:14]

He felt that he would not be able to do that in Cuba under so much scrutiny from the government, under the current economic conditions that are so disastrous at this moment.

And so, he's arriving to a hero's welcome in South Florida by the Cuban American community there that see him as a steadfast opponent of the government here. But, of course, according to human rights groups, there are more than a thousand other prisoners of conscience on this island, political prisoners. And so, they will certainly be the focus of any further U.S.-Cuban negotiations.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

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ABDELAZIZ: One of the world's most proper societies is telling some workers to dress in more summer-friendly clothing, while parts of Japan are ditching more formal business attire. That and more after the break.

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FRANCES SALIMO, STRANDED FAN: This is a two to four delete, I think. It's coming back. So, we stay with it. We're still hoping that we can make it.

[05:50:03]

BLAKE FERTITTA, STRANDED FAN: Hopefully they'll board and we can get up there tonight. That's the hope. If not, either try to recoup the tickets on a, you know, sell the ticket or potentially get a rental car through the night.

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ABDELAZIZ: That is our Lynda Kinkade there speaking with soccer fan Stranded at the Atlanta airport, hoping to make the final match at New York, New Jersey Stadium later today. One passenger tells her he spent $14,000 on his trip. All of them scrambling, of course, to figure out whether there's any route, connection or last-minute option that will get them to that stadium in time.

Argentina's Lionel Messi is addressing the first meeting with Spain's Lamine Yamal when the 19-year-old star forward was just a baby.

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LIONEL MESSI, ARGENTINA CAPTAIN (through translator): To be honest, that photo is just crazy because, well, that's life, isn't it? I had my photo taken with him when he was a baby. And here we are today, the two of us going up against each other in a World Cup. It really is crazy. But he's one of the best in the world right now, without a doubt. And I wish him the very best of luck because his success will be Barcelona's success. And, well, we'll try to put in a good performance so that he doesn't play at his best, even though that will be difficult.

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ABDELAZIZ: The unbelievable photos have gone viral, of course, showing Messi then 20 years old holding and bathing baby Yamal. Yamal's mother had won a raffle to be photographed with Messi for a charity calendar. Now Yamal plays for Messi's beloved former club, Barcelona. Though Messi says he is wishing him all the success, he'll do his best to keep Yamal from making history today.

Besides the obvious feelings of joy and pride, either Argentina or Spain will be honored with one of the most coveted trophies in sport when they win today's match. It's a creation of labor and love.

CNN Producer Antonia Mortensen shows us how it was made and how it became an icon.

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ANTONIA MORTENSEN, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: The World Cup trophy, one of the most recognizable symbols in sport, but behind it, a story few people know. Well, this is the original prototype made and designed right here in Milan more than 50 years ago by Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga.

From a studio in Milan to the biggest sporting stage on Earth --

GIORGIO GAZZANIGA, SILVIO GAZZANIGA'S SON (through translator): This magical thing happened. The previous World Cup, the Remake Cup, had been awarded to Brazil.

MORTENSEN (voice-over): In 1970, Brazil won the World Cup for a third time. And under the original rules, they were allowed to keep the original trophy. FIFA needed a new trophy and Gazzaniga's design won the competition.

GAZZANIGA (through translator): So, he started drawing, drawing, drawing and had found two directions. One of a very beautiful, very modern, but abstract object. But when he did that, he realized that the Cup had to make an immediate impact in every country in the world, be immediately understood and show that inside this object was the entire tradition and history of victory.

MORTENSEN (voice-over): Since then, it has become one of the most iconic symbols in sport, recognized around the world.

GAZZANIGA (through translator): He made the prototype in three dimensions, then created a box to take it to Zurich and put it directly on the table. But until 1974, when Beckenbauer lifted it, it was still just a beautiful object. When he raised it to the sky, the stadium exploded. And that was when he realized he had created an icon. MORTENSEN (voice-over): The actual trophy is 18 carat gold and has been lifted up at every World Cup since 1974. Designed and made in Italy, even if Italy didn't make it to the World Cup this time.

Antonia Mortensen, CNN, Milan.

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ABDELAZIZ: Drones are lighting up the skies above New Jersey, celebrating the World Cup ahead of today's big match. They created images of the tournament's mascots and logo and the trophy that either Spain or Argentina will win. The drones also displayed the Statue of Liberty with the Manhattan skyline as the backdrop.

Japanese employers are known for demanding appropriate behavior and appearance on the job. But now governments are encouraging people to ditch their business attire in favor of cooler, more summer-friendly clothes. CNN's Hanako Montgomery explains how that's being received.

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HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Japan, it's generally formal attire at work. But that can be a sticky situation when temperatures reach 35 degrees Celsius or 95 degrees Fahrenheit, like they did this week in parts of the country.

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Tokyo is now allowing its employees to swap their suits for shorts. It's part of an upgraded Cool Biz initiative, which decades ago encouraged workers to ditch their jackets and ties to reduce air- conditioning use in the summer. But this year, it's even more chill, with municipal staff allowed to wear shorts, polo shirts, T-shirts and sneakers.

NOBORU WATANABE, TOKYO DEPARTMENT OF CLIMATE CHANGE COUNTERMEASURES: Cool Biz is about being flexible and comfortable in how we dress year- round, and also about making the work environment cool through measures such as telework, remote work and early morning working hours. It also means making our daily lives more cool and comfortable.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): It's been so hot in Japan that the country's weather agency officially designated days that reach or exceed 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit as "kokushobi," or cruelly hot days. And dressing down is a good way to cool down, according to some casual-style converts.

TORU SUDA, TOKYO GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE: At first, it felt a little strange, and I wasn't really used to it. But after wearing this kind of outfit several times and as time passed, I gradually got used to it. Also, more and more of the staff around me started dressing this way, so the sense of awkwardness gradually disappeared.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Even as heatstroke warnings were issued in several parts of Japan this week, there were online debates about the acceptability of showing bare legs in the office. In Tokyo's government offices, shorts are sanctioned until the end of September. Its version of the Cool Biz campaign ends for the year, with some people saying they'll be sorry to see it go.

WATANABE: Honestly, I've gotten used to this, and it's hard to go back. That said, formal occasions still require formal attire, so I adjust my clothing according to the task and the situation.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tokyo.

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ABDELAZIZ: Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. For our viewers in North America, "CNN THIS MORNING" is coming up next, for the rest of the world, "It's Called to Earth."

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