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U.K. Pushes Ahead with Rwanda Deportation Plan; ECB Left Interest Rates Unchanged at Last Meeting; Zelenskyy Says Russia Will Go Further; NATO Expected to Provide More Ukrainian Military Support; Brazil's Mixed Messaging on Missing Journalist; Crypto Meltdown Costs El Salvador; Europe's Summer Heat. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired June 15, 2022 - 10:00   ET

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

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BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: (INAUDIBLE) necessary to change some laws to help us to go along, it may very well be.

JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The engines are on, the cabin crew on board, but at last a court halting the U.K.'s first deportation

flight to Rwanda.

What happens next?

Plus.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Even though Russia has fewer and fewer missiles with each passing day, Ukraine's need

for such systems remains.

CHATTERLEY (voice-over): Will NATO enter Ukraine's call for more weapons at a crucial time in this war against Russia?

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CHATTERLEY (voice-over): And the Fed is planning some bold, bold action today.

But will it keep soaring inflation from worsening?

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CHATTERLEY: I'm Julia Chatterley. Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD.

Digging in and pressing on the U.K. government is bound to move ahead with its controversial deportation plan to Rwanda after Tuesday's flight for

asylum seekers was grounded.

The plane was on the tarmac when the European Court of Human Rights intervened and ordered the U.K. not to deport one asylum seeker for the

time being as legal proceedings play out. That ruling led to the remaining asylum seekers being removed from the flight.

The British home secretary Priti Patel addressed the U.K. Parliament a short time ago. Take a listen.

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PRITI PATEL, BRITISH HOME SECRETARY: (INAUDIBLE) decision by the Strasbourg court to intervene was disappointing and surprising, given the

repeated and considered judgments to the contrary in our domestic courts. We remain committed to this policy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHATTERLEY: CNN's Nada Bashir is in France, where she has been reporting on the refugee situation in Calais. She is in our Paris bureau now.

Let's talk about this. The reaction from the home secretary and the prime minister was unrepentant. They are going to press on with more flights.

What happens next?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Julia. You heard their disappointing, surprising but in fact we have long heard from both the home

secretary and the prime minister and the foreign secretary that the government had been expecting legal challenges. Perhaps not from the

European Court of Human Rights.

In the last few hours we did hear that statement updating us on the situation around the flight that was supposed to take off last night. We

now understand three individuals were removed after the court intervened.

But I have to say, we were seeing or expecting more than 100 people to be on that flight. That figure has dwindled down significantly since that

first high court legal battle on Friday down to single figures.

Yesterday it was said that seven people were aboard that flight. And it was later grounded. Domestically legal challenges as well. The government has

said they will be pushing ahead. Take a listen.

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PATEL: We believe that we are fully compliant with our domestic and international obligations and preparations for our future flights and the

next flights have already begun.

This government will not be deterred from doing the right thing. We will not be put off by the inevitable legal last-minute challenges. Nor will we

allow mobs (ph), Madame Deputy Speaker, to block removals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: So Julia, already preparing for those next flights. We heard previously from the foreign secretary those who were not aboard the first

flight will be expected to be on their next flight. Priti Patel said those who were removed have been tagged until those legal proceedings can go

through and we have that final judgment.

But of course, you also highlighted that this European court judgment was not on the policy itself, that these deportations had to be postponed until

there could be more thorough assessment.

She also used the word mobs there and it is important to know the actual criticisms that we have been seeing, which are widespread, are coming from

the U.N.'s Refugee Agency, UNHCR, from Human Rights Watch, even from the Church of England. So it is pretty widespread there.

CHATTERLEY: Great to have you with us, thank you for the context, we appreciate. It in. Paris.

Now joining us for more context, Geoffrey Robertson, responded to the team that helped win that last-minute decision at the European Court of Human

Rights. He joins us now, live.

Geoffrey, great to have you with us.

[10:05:00]

CHATTERLEY: I think it is important for us to understand the role of the Court of Human Rights and understand why it was established in order to

understand in what way the U.K. is bound by this decision.

GEOFFREY ROBERTSON, INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER: Well, it came out of the war with the hope that never again would the Nazis and their

ideology get involved. The British law has been particular drafted the European Convention of Human Rights at Winston Churchill's direction to

allow some 40 countries of Europe participants, the court sits at Strasbourg.

And it decides whether actions by governments are compliant. And the British government has a pretty good record.

There was a guy 150 years ago, a man called William Gladstone, perhaps our greatest prime minister, who said Britain will always obey international

tribunals, no matter how bad the judgment is because obedience to international law is far more important than the alternative of war and

dispute.

So that is the basis upon which if you don't get what you need, and these people are entitled to have the decision made as to whether they are true

asylum seekers, seeking to avoid death and torture in the countries they have come from, or whether they are simply economic immigrants, wanting a

better life in Britain.

That is a decision that has to be made, according to the refugee convention by British judges. But this government has decided that they should all be

off put to Rwanda in the middle of Africa, where Rwandan judges will decide.

CHATTERLEY: Geoffrey --

ROBERTSON: So the question of whether that law has to be decided, and the European court has said that these people should not be deported until it

is.

CHATTERLEY: -- as you, said you represented the lead case on this. As we heard from Priti Patel today, they're going to press on with more flights.

How strong is your argument to continue to do this and just to prevent each flight that goes?

It points to the message that Boris Johnson was sending earlier, which is, the way that we get around this is if they want to continue to do this and

follow through on this controversial policy, you have to change the laws to do it. And then the court has no jurisdiction.

ROBERTSON: Well, Priti Patel is pretty angry. But that is something that she should have expected. It is unfair and inhumane to put these people,

some of whom have genuine claims to avoid torture and death, to send them to Rwanda, where the justice system is highly suspect.

And this is one of the issues that will be litigated in a few weeks' time. I don't know whether you can remember the film, "Hotel Rwanda."

This was the hero of that who saved thousands of lives, is now being sentenced this year to life imprisonment in Rwanda at a trial that did

raise questions about the independence of the judges, who didn't allow him to cross examine the main witness against him.

But that will be one of the issues that will be decided. And obviously these people would prefer to have that determined by an English or indeed a

French judge rather than by the question mark Rwandan judiciary.

CHATTERLEY: Right. And obviously the Rwandan government are not here to push back on your comments and defend themselves. My final question --

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ROBERTSON: Well, they have said that --

CHATTERLEY: -- well, it is a tough one because you have a minute to answer it, sir. But I know you can do it. And it ties to your prowess, I think, in

fighting this policy.

Do you think they will ever successfully, having paid all this money to Rwanda to take these people, ever successfully send these people to Rwanda

without changing the law?

ROBERTSON: Well, they can change the law if they are true democrats. They would have put the law to Parliament and they did not have the guts to do

it. They did not dare put Parliament to decide.

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ROBERTSON: And we've already seen the church, the king in waiting, have all described it as an appalling policy.

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTSON: So they might not get it through Parliament and they will try to use their executive power. But there is the question they can't send

these people off to Africa illegally. And British law will stop them if they try to do it without going through all the human rights hoops that

they have to do with people who are in dire need, who are terribly traumatized by being taken out to airports and then taken back.

It is quite inhumane. So hopefully the government will see sense and will postpone all question of flights until the legality of the policies that

they didn't dare put to Parliament will be decided.

CHATTERLEY: Sir, fantastic to talk to you. Thank you so much. You will be there to defend them. International human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson,

thank you.

People around the world are playing more to eat, drive and keep the lights on. In the U.S. the central bank is poised to drastic action today to tame

inflation with possibly the biggest interest rate hike in nearly 30 years. U.S. markets are bracing for the news and in the meantime the ECB held an

emergency meeting a short time ago.

It's promising more, quote, "flexibility" in addressing disparities in bond deal across nations.

Strong gains today, as you can see. The tech heavy Nasdaq out performing. CNN's Clare Sebastian has been following the ECB meeting. And Rahel Solomon

is in New York following the Fed.

Rahel, it is a, given I think, at this stage. She, says carefully but confidently. They are going to go three-quarters of a percentage point.

The question is, the big one, what is it going to take to bring inflation down?

How high do interest rates have to go?

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We certainly will be listening very closely. At 2:30 Eastern we hear from Jay Powell. But Julia, as you alluded

to, 30 years, practically. 1994 was the last time we saw the U.S. Federal Reserve raise rates by three-quarters of a percent in one meeting. They

tend to move in a more gradual traditional fashion of a quarter of a percent.

But of course, with inflation being the size that is, take a look at this inflation in the U.S. The Fed appearing to believe that a break from

tradition is necessary. I want to show you the CPI over the last few years so you can. See the last reading we got from consumer inflation about 8.6

percent.

Unacceptably high is what we're hearing from the administration. So when the Fed raises rates today, again, the assumption being about 75 basis

points or three-quarters of a percent, it will do two things. It will raise rates for consumers here in the U.S. for everything from student loans, car

loans, mortgage rates for sure.

The idea is that it curbs demand and cools inflation. But it will also signal to market watchers that the Fed, if they do raise rates, is on top

of it and will do what it takes to rein in inflation.

So Julia, to your question, how high will they go, what will it take?

Deutsche Bank putting out a note yesterday, It too sees 0.75 percent for today's meeting but also for July's meeting, seeing the bonds rate going up

about 2.3 percent in the near future and about 4.1 percent.

So it makes borrowing more expensive, which, Julia, is exactly the point. The Fed is trying to curb spending and curb demand, trying to bring a bit

more balance into the economy, with the supply of goods and the demands of those goods and services.

CHATTERLEY: Right. It is interesting. The phrase is, actions speak louder than words. But where financial markets and central bankers are concerned,

those words sometimes have more weight than the actions.

And that is certainly the case that we are seeing for the European Central Bank which is promising to raise rates. The bond market reacting

immediately. And, of course, that has tightening effects too.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After this, last week we heard from the European Central Bank, that for the first time in 11 years in July,

they would be raising rates. That was truly significant. It led to a big rise in bond yields, particularly in more (INAUDIBLE) countries like Italy.

The ECB announced today this ad hoc meeting and had to flesh what they said last week, which is that the markets appear to suggest that they do not

have enough detail about what the ECB would do.

Particularly about the issue of fragmentation, when borrowing costs in some countries in the European Union go much higher than others. Then you have

this imbalance which can lead to instability in the region.

This is something that the ECB wants to guard against and that is exactly what they announced today. On the one, hand something new. There will be a

new anti fragmentation instrument that can accelerate the design of that.

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SEBASTIAN: And then they also reiterated what they had said about something old, the pandemic area purchase program. They are now looking to

reinvest funds from that as bonds mature and do that flexibly, which, of course, means they can target it to more distressed areas of the Eurozone.

So they have done this, in a way, to try to calm markets. But the jury still out whether it works. It looks at the euro has given up some of its

gains. Italian bond deals went up and down again. Perhaps the markets are giving the ECB the benefit of the doubt.

CHATTERLEY: Yes. Whether it is tightening are not tightening, easing at the same time to ease the tightening.

Rahel Solomon in New York, Clare Sebastian in London. Nobody said it was easy. Thank you.

You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Still ahead, the struggle for Sievierodonetsk. What Ukraine's top officials are saying about the fresh

challenges facing Ukrainian troops.

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CHATTERLEY: Welcome. Back the war in Ukraine has reached a pivotal moment. That assessment coming from U.S. and other Western intelligence officials,

who believe it is essential for Ukraine to stop Russian forces from moving further into the Donbas.

Ukrainian forces are struggling to keep partial control of the key city of Sievierodonetsk. Ukraine's military chief in the Luhansk region of the

Donbas says Russia is attacking from three directions and destroying residential buildings.

Ukraine's president is again pleading for more advanced anti missile weapons systems. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is tracking developments for us in

the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv.

It is distressing to hear. This we know that weapons are being provided. The challenge is training those troops in order to use them and understand

where they are in the country.

It is tough, isn't it?

Do we get a picture of what's happening?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let's start with that comment, the pivotal moment. This is a turning point in the conflict. I want to explain

that. The concern is, here, for Ukraine's allies, is that Ukraine is on the back foot. Russia appears to be inch by inch gaining that territory in the

east of the country.

Western Intelligence says that there is a worst-case scenario here, which is that Russia takes that territory, is able to solidify those gains from

the Donbas all the way down to Mariupol to Crimea and eventually use that as a staging ground to push even further into Ukraine.

President Putin's appetite does not end here. And what that means is that we are looking at a very long war, one that will drag out and mean not just

a Band-aid package here, Julia.

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ABDELAZIZ: President Zelenskyy painting that very bleak picture of a force outmanned, outgunned, much weaker than this Russian military. Take a look.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Even though Russia has fewer and fewer missiles with each passing day, Ukraine's need

for such systems remains because Russia still has enough Soviet types of missiles, which are even more dangerous.

They are many times less precise and, therefore, threaten civilian objects and ordinary residential buildings much more.

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ABDELAZIZ: Now Ukrainian officials say they've only received 10 percent of what they have requested in terms of military assistance from their allies.

Some of the things that is on the wish list, Americans are simply not willing to. Give because they fear that longer range missiles could further

provoke the conflict, could further aggravate an already very aggressive Russia.

And you do have a sense of war fatigue setting. Ukrainian officials say that they feel that the resolute determination to stand by Ukraine at the

beginning of the conflict, that is beginning to soften, especially as you look at gas prices rising, fear of inflation.

Will Western allies continue to bolster this very weak Ukrainian military?

Which they are taking major losses, over 100 soldiers a day, Ukrainian officials tell. Us so can they continue to bolster them in the long term,

Julia?

CHATTERLEY: It is such an important point. The pivotal moment is also about morale, I think at this moment, too. I'm getting that sense from the

people that you are speaking to. There that it is a very important moment for morale as much as anything else.

ABDELAZIZ: Absolutely. And I think that is why you hear President Zelenskyy continuing to address his country men and addressing the

international community every single day to provide updates on the battleground, every single day.

But it is hard to ignore the fact, Julia, that so many people are coming back in body bags, not just soldiers but residents and civilians. We were

at a morgue earlier today where the bodies of dead people were coming back from Mariupol. Again a place where thousands of people are believed to have

been killed.

It is the weight of this war, the suffering and the extent of it and the reality that it could just drag on that much longer.

CHATTERLEY: Salma Abdelaziz, thank you for that report there from Kyiv.

Now NATO is answering a call from Ukraine for more weapons in its crucial time in its war against Russia. At this hour NATO defense ministers meeting

in Brussels to find ways to provide more military support. This includes a plan to modernize Ukraine's military capabilities.

NATO's secretary general says the alliance is committed to. Ukraine CNN's correspondents --

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JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: We are extremely focused on stepping up, providing more support, more advanced weapons and also to do

that in the best possible way for Ukrainians because we support them in their just fight against the brutal Russian invasion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHATTERLEY: CNN Pentagon correspondent Oren Liebermann is monitoring this and joins us now from Brussels.

Great to have you with us. There was a tweet by the advisor to the head of the office of the president of Ukraine.

He said, the ratio of Russian to Ukrainian artillery in some areas is 10:1. It is a sheer amount of weaponry that is the mismatch. Here but it is also

the training required, even when you provide that weaponry, to ensure that those troops can use it. So many things they have to address here.

How do they go about it, Oren?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, that process has begun. The West and the U.S. are well aware that a lot of the equipment Ukrainian

armed forces are using is Soviet era equipment.

Older artillery, older fighter aircraft as well and much older equipment that was going to begin running out at some. Point and to prepare for, that

that is one of the reasons the U.S. sent in their own howitzers. The West sent in Western equipment, More modern weaponry.

The difference may sound small, older Soviet equipment uses 152 millimeter artillery ammo, for example, versus 155 millimeter ammo.

But the systems and the differences are significant. So it requires training and then it requires Ukraine to get the equipment to the front

lines. The transition has been happening, as Ukraine runs out of that older ammo and they transition to the newer equipment.

But it is incredibly difficult, obviously, to do that in the middle of a fight. But Ukraine has no other options. That is another element that makes

this such a critical moment.

According to the sources we have spoken with and the context, there is another very significant reason here. And that is that the outcome of the

fight now with Eastern Ukraine that we are seeing, Sievierodonetsk, for example, has the potential.

It is possible this begins to shape the final outcome of this. War even as it continues to drag. On that is another one of the reasons here. Everybody

is well aware of the significance of the moment.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin when he spoke just a short time ago to kick off this Ukraine defense contract meeting, he specifically said and pointed

out that all of the U.S. has provided to this point, howitzers.

[10:25:00]

LIEBERMANN: Earlier this month they provided multiple launch rocket systems called HIMARS. And he strongly suggested that the U.S. is about to

do more, saying that the U.S. will continue to do its part. And that is part of the reason for this.

The last time this contact group met in person in late April, we saw announcements from for example the Canadians and the U.K. about weapons

they were sending. in nearly 50 countries here. So we're going to see what different countries and the U.S. will make announcements.

A senior U.S. Defense official said they expect more, announcements from countries and it comes at a critical time for Ukraine. The question, will

it be enough, I give you an . Example Ukraine has called for 1,000 howitzers, 1,000 pieces of artillery.

To this date, the U.S. has sent in about 10 percent of that so they're calling for much more and they are calling for it quickly.

CHATTERLEY: I retweeted that tweet, Russian to Ukrainian artillery in some areas, a ratio of 10:1. It does not get more powerful than that. CNN

Pentagon correspondent Oren Liebermann, joining us from Brussels there, thank you.

Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now.

Iran has confirmed it is preparing to test launch two satellite carrying rockets and with tensions high over Tehran's nuclear program, some experts

see the testing as prerogative since the technology is similar to what is needed for intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The Kremlin says it is not tracking the whereabouts of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny after an abrupt prison transfer. His aides raised

concerns for his safety Tuesday when he was moved to a maximum security facility but they were not told which one.

Sri Lanka is reeling from food and fuel shortages and is giving public workers Fridays off this summer to grow their own. crops. The country's

economic crisis is so dire it prompted mass protests and a change of government.

The search for two men missing in the Amazon continues. But false information is making the tough situation even more difficult. The details

ahead.

And El Salvador bet big on bitcoin, until bitcoin bit back. We will look at how the crypto meltdown is affecting the country. Stay with us.

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CHATTERLEY: Welcome back, I'm Julia Chatterley in New York. And you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Brazil's ambassador to the U.K. is apologizing

for conflicting messaging about a missing journalist. Dom Phillips, the indigenous experts Bruno Pereira, have both been missing since June 5th.

The handling of the case has sparked global protests.

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CHATTERLEY: A diplomatic official wrongly told Phillips' family that two bodies had been found during search operations in the Amazon. The

ambassador says that the search continues.

Meanwhile, police say they have arrested a second person in connection with the disappearance of the two men. Matt Rivers is following the story from

Mexico City and joins us live now.

Appalling for the families that are being given wrong information.

Do we know whether these two individuals have been found, whether they are still missing, whether they're dead or alive?

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there is a lot of open questions at this point, Julia. I will give you enough in the search in

just a second here. But you can imagine, really you can't imagine, what's these families of both of these two missing men will be going through after

hearing word on Monday that the bodies of their two loved ones had been found.

According to the family of Dom Phillips, they said that they were contacted by the Brazilian embassy in London, with the deputy chief of mission,

according to family, calling them on Monday, saying they had received word from officials in Brazil the bodies had been found.

It was later on Monday that the Brazilian federal police said that was not true, including indigenous search groups that are helping in the search

also saying that is not true. And that forced the Brazilian foreign ministry and the ambassador himself in the U.K. to apologize to the

families, saying that the search goes on.

Here is what we know so far. There have been signs of what the Brazilian president is calling malice happening to these two men. Their personal

belongings, some of them have been found in the far western part of the Amazonas state of Brazil, where they were working on a book project when

they disappeared.

We know that blood has been found of both. One of the suspects have been arrested in this case. We also know that human remains have been found in a

river near where the pair went missing.

However, those remains are still being analyzed. DNA testing is ongoing in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia. So Julia, signs don't look great at this

point for their well-being. But the idea that there was some sort of confirmation that their bodies had been found, that was just false.

CHATTERLEY: To your point, your earlier point, it is just appalling for the families. There has been a second arrest, I believe, in connection with

this.

What can you tell us about that individual?

RIVERS: We do not have a ton of information from Brazilian federal police, who put out a statement not that long ago saying that a 41-year-old man has

been arrested and is currently being interrogated as part of the search. This is only the second suspect to be arrested at this point.

The Brazilian federal police saying that this 41-year-old was found with several ammo cartridges as well as a paddle that they say is being analyzed

as part of the criminal investigation. No more information than that.

But clearly Brazilian federal police are moving toward making more arrests in this case as that information becomes available to them.

Matt, thank you for that. We'll continue to follow the story. Matt Rivers, reporting from Mexico City there.

To El Salvador now, hoping, braced and bitcoin would bring some much needed money into the country. Just the opposite. In September, El Salvador

invested $103 million in bitcoin.

On Monday, they were worth around $50 million. The crypto market in general flourishing the pandemic but has tumbled in recent months. At last check,

bitcoin was trading, as you can see there, just above $21,000 per bitcoin, its lowest level in fact since December of 2020. Patrick Oppmann joins us

from Havana with the story.

Patrick, there are many things to say about this, I talked to the IMF chief about this. And she said, just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

But the president continues to suggest you should be buying more bitcoin.

How important is this for a country that adopted this as legal tender?

It could be used for general transactions. This kind of volatility doesn't help.

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not at all. And you have to remember that, just about a year ago when this announcement was first made, it was

about so much more than just financial transactions.

El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, promising that his country's financial future, that this was going to be the road to a brighter

financial future for El Salvador. And they've hit a lot of potholes on the way.

First when they rolled out their own digital wallet, there was a lot of technical issues. Many (INAUDIBLE) just as you are saying, complained about

a currency that changed so widely and in value from one day to another.

Many people complaining there weren't enough ATMs, those kinds of problems. And now to have such a tremendous drop in value, it is not going at the way

that Salvadoran government officials had hoped.

They really expected that more would be using these financial tools, their digital wallets, that every Salvadoran was given when they began this plan.

[10:35:00]

OPPMANN: That bitcoin entrepreneurs would be flocking to El Salvador, that they would even build this futuristic bitcoin city.

But Nayib Bukele not backing down, as he is known to do. He is an unrepentant, unapologetic believer in the future of bitcoin. He's been

saying over the last several months that he is buying the dip, that he's continuing to invest in bitcoin.

But right now, Julia, these look like very bad bets they've lost. As you said, half their value. Then you have to think of the millions of dollars

El Salvador has spent getting ready to use bitcoin widely.

And then just the loss of face, the fact that they have embraced bitcoin like no other nation just as bitcoin has crashed and burned.

CHATTERLEY: It's an important point. And a few things here, the utility value and using this as an alternative currency and then there's the store

of value argument to your point, that this was perhaps an investment strategy that the country was running.

The finance minister spoke about this and sort of brushed it off and said, look, it's not that big a deal in terms of the finances of the country. But

you could argue, Patrick, at this point, the perception, the international perception perhaps of the responsibility of this government is called into

question. And that's the danger.

OPPMANN: It's not a good look when your president is essentially using the national coffers' public funds like a day trader would. That doesn't

inspire confidence. And it is a big deal because it's affected their credit rating, it's raised doubts about whether or not they will be able to repay

back debt.

And again, to see the president just continuing to double down, despite all evidence, saying that he continues to believe in the future of bitcoin,

continues to tie his country's future to digital currencies when you are seeing more and more people in El Salvador saying this just has not played

out the way that we were promised it would.

And certainly when the initial announcement happened, Nayib Bukele wanted to generate headlines. It was a very bold move. He's now generating

headlines for all the wrong reasons.

CHATTERLEY: Yes. If you want headlines, you've got them. But you prefer good headlines rather than the opposite. Patrick, great to have you with

us. Thank you so much for that.

Patrick Oppmann there in Havana.

Nearly 100 million people in the United States are under extreme heat alerts, as a massive heat wave moves across the southern and central U.S.

In Texas, officials are urging people to stay indoors to prevent deadly heatstroke. In the meantime, schools in the Midwest are closing early or

switching to virtual learning to help keep young students safe.

Adding to the sweltering misery, storms in Ohio knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes as the demand for air conditioning surges.

Across the Atlantic an intense heat wave is also hitting parts of Europe. Spain is now seeing its earliest heat wave in four decades. Record

temperatures are expected to hit neighboring France today too. That's a major concern in southern France, where wildfires are raging.

And, now the U.K. has alerted a health alert as temperatures are expected to soar.

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CHATTERLEY: OK, still to come.

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CHATTERLEY (voice-over): This is what victory sounds like.

But what did Costa Rica actually win?

Details in our sports update next.

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