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Sri Lanka Protesters Push Out Leaders, Occupy Their Residences; Japan Bids Farewell To Former Prime Minister Abe; U.S. Secretary Of State Stops In Tokyo To Pay Respects. Aired 10-10:45a ET

Aired July 11, 2022 - 10:00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:45]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice over): After protesters crashed the president's official residence in the midst of a dire economic

crisis. News that the Sri Lankan prime minister and president will resign.

Plus, a nation in mourning still coming to terms with a shocking assassination. The wise and house put aside today as Japan says goodbye to

an influential leader. And.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Animal feed prices are doubled because of Ukraine. It's a chain reaction that's bad

enough now he says.

ANDERSON: The war in Ukraine strangling countries thousands of miles away, starving them of grain. Tunisia one of those struggling.

Well, it's 3:00 p.m. in London. I'm Becky Anderson. Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD. We begin with developing news out of Sri Lanka.

Officials confirming that the president and prime minister will resign. And a senior military source telling CNN the president has been taken to a

naval vessel for safety. This happened minutes before thousands of protesters stormed the official residences.

Let's not forget how we got here. Bankrupted Sri Lanka looking for help. The nation owes creditors more than $50 billion and it can't afford to

import food and fuel. The IMF is trying to come up with a bailout solution. Well, protesters are seeing for themselves what their taxes have paid for.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice over): CNN's Michael Holmes with the closer look.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For many protesters in Sri Lanka roaming the halls of the presidential residence

they've occupied since Saturday. This is the good life.

A chance for many Sri Lankans, many who can't afford to buy enough food or fuel to live like a king, at least for a short while.

Armed security guards stood outside the compound but didn't stop the curious from taking a peek inside the palace. This man says he brought his

family here to enjoy a picnic on the grounds.

He says, I got a chance with my kids to come and have lunch here, adding, it's once in a lifetime.

This is after all how their President Gotabaya Rajapaksa lived while the country suffered through an economic meltdown. With soaring inflation,

shortages of critical supplies and rolling blackouts. Conditions that sparked months of protests that led to Saturday's extraordinary show of

people power when more than 100,000 protesters flooded the streets of Colombo.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) as you can see.

HOLMES: A massive public display that finally forced the president to give in to their demands. The country's speaker of parliament announcing soon

afterwards, the president will resign on Wednesday. The prime minister saying he too will step down.

But protesters say promises aren't enough and they won't leave the residence until both officially resign.

AKUSHIA FERNANDO, PROTESTER: We don't trust him anymore because he has already broken our trust, our country's trust and he has already sold our

countries.

HOLMES: The next few days could be a turning point for Sri Lanka if there is a leadership change. But even if that happens, its economic troubles are

far from over and could take years to reverse.

It will be a heavy lift for whomever takes power next, and while the country remains in political limbo, many protesters say they'll continue to

enjoy the luxuries of the house with a warning for the next full time occupant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the maximum, so --

(CROSSTALK)

HOLMES: As this man says, politicians should understand the power of people. And this is the maximum of it.

Michael Holmes, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: CNN's Will Ripley watching all of this for us. And after these resignations, then what happens now in Sri Lankan politics, Will?

[10:05:00]

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, we have a timeline, Becky, actually just confirmed moments ago. First of all, President

Rajapaksa said previously that he would be stepping down on Wednesday. We know that he's being held in a secure location right now, he'll -- if he

does resign on Wednesday, what the Parliament speaker is now saying is that on Friday, July 15th, this coming Friday, the Parliament will reconvene.

And then they're going to have several days up until next Wednesday, July 28th. And that is when they expect to elect a new president. Now the

Parliament will be electing from within their own ranks. So, the question now is will this new government be enough for people to go home, to

disperse peacefully. They say that they're going to occupy the president's house, and whatever is left of the prime minister's residence which was set

on fire over the weekend until both the president and the prime minister, Wickremesinghe are out.

The prime minister has said that he's going to stick around until this new government is formed. So, we don't have an exact date yet, Becky for the

timetable for the prime minister to resign. But if all goes according to plan by Friday, Parliament should be reconvening, the president should have

resigned by next Wednesday, Sri Lanka may have a new president.

ANDERSON: Sri Lanka is bankrupt at this point and is in talks with the IMF over a bailout and the central bank chief has signaled that he will

actually stay in his job. Is it clear whether that's possible at this point? What can the IMF do in the short term to stem what is this very dire

economic situation?

RIPLEY: They've really struggled to find a way out for Sri Lanka. And this is -- this is made even more difficult because it's been going on for so

long. The troubles have been building up and the bad financial decisions analysts say largely by President Rajapaksa. And don't forget, it was his

brother who is a former president and also previously the prime minister up until recently. So, the protesters demanded he stepped down.

The Rajapaksa dynasty, if you will, is being blamed, certainly in the public eye for this. And then you have on top of it, you have the economic

disaster of the cargo ship that caught fire and spewed plastic pellets all over Sri Lanka's prize beaches that they rely on for tourism, which was

just starting to creep back after COVID-19 pandemic. And before that the Easter bombings back in 2019. This is a nation that has really been reeling

from one setback after another.

And now these protests as destructive as they've been for the people of Sri Lanka, it is giving them hope that maybe something can be done. But Becky,

in the short term, how much can really be done to correct a situation where people do not have food. They don't have fuel. They don't have medicine in

many cases. They are literally struggling to survive. It's going to be quite a while for Sri Lanka to dig itself with the international help out

of this one.

ANDERSON: Yes. Will Ripley is on the story for us. Will, thank you. Some remarkable images there.

Well, in Japan a final farewell and a bittersweet victory just hours after Shinzo Abe's party -- political party won big in parliamentary elections.

Mourners lined up to pay their respects to the slain former leader. This is the hearse carrying his body, arriving at the temple where a private wake

was held earlier today. His funeral service will take place there on Tuesday afternoon.

Well, the U.S. secretary of state made an unscheduled stop in Tokyo to share his condolences.

Meanwhile, we are learning new details about the suspect. Police say he admitting -- admitted to shooting then held a grudge against a group he

believed that he belonged to.

Kyung Lah is following all of these developments from Tokyo. And at this point, let's be quite clear, what do we know about the motivations of this

assassin?

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're getting a better picture of 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, Becky. What we're

understanding from police reports is a bit more of the timeline as well as that motivation. As far as the timeline, we understand from police that he

had been planning this for some time, that he made these handmade pistols and guns from watching videos on YouTube, that he even took them into the

mountain areas near his home and practice firing them.

Then he knew where the premiere, the former premier was going to be any major that he showed up early so we knew exactly where to go. As far as the

motivation, you mentioned that he was angry holding a grudge against a particular group. Well, there was a press conference today from the Japan

branch of the Unification Church. And what the church spokesman, the president said was that they believe that they're the group but that

they're confused as to exactly why because of Abe did not have a connection to them, according to the church.

That the suspect directly did not have a connection but it was a suspect's mother who was a member. They understood that she had gone bankrupt but

they were a little confused as to how that would lead to such a horrific crime.

[10:10:10]

LAH: And that, Becky, is part of the police investigation trying to piece all of this together to form a real picture of who this man is.

ANDERSON: Meanwhile, as we said earlier, the whys in the House to a certain extent, just being sort of laid to the side today as people pay their

respects, Tony Blinken in town. Abe was famously able to get on equally well with the Obama and Trump administrations in the U.S. How did he go

about bringing Japan-U.S. relations to a new level?

LAH: Well, what he really did is from the jump is that he made sure that the Japan-U.S. relation was one of the 10 poles of his premiership, his

philosophy was considered to be more hawkish, when you consider Japan standards and a pacifist constitution. That what he viewed was the

stability of this region was the Japan-U.S. relation. And that it had to serve as a counterweight to a rising China.

And you really heard that closeness being expressed by Secretary Blinken when he made that personal stop. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: During his time in office, Mr. Abe really took the relationship between our countries to new

heights. And as I shared with our -- with our colleagues, we saw in him something rare. A man of vision who's had the ability to realize that

vision. But mostly, I came at the president's behest because more than allies, we're friends. And when a friend is hurting, other friends show up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAH: So, a titan being mourned around the world, but especially here in Japan. Becky?

ANDERSON: Absolutely. Kyung Lah, thank you. Well, elsewhere in Asia, Chinese authorities use brute force this weekend to break up a massive

protests at a bank in Hunan province.

Protesters in the city of Zhengzhou were demanding their money back. Millions of dollars worth of deposits that banks had frozen since April who

made what is a cash crisis. Instead of their money, some protesters got the heavy hand of security officers. My colleague Selina Wang has more for you

now from Beijing.

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Chinese authorities on Sunday violently suppressed a large-scale peaceful protest by people who were

demanding that authorities give them access to their life savings that are currently frozen in banks. Since April, several small banks in China's

central Hunan province have frozen deposits impacting as many as 400,000 banking customers.

That's according to state media. It is rare to see protests in authoritarian China. But in the past two months there have been multiple

ones. These depositors are desperate. This threatens the very livelihood of hundreds of thousands of people in an economy already battered by COVID

lockdowns. I've spoken to migrant workers and business people whose decades of hard earned money are in the banks.

They say they are struggling to survive. Video from Sunday shows police violently quashing the peaceful protests. Security guards are dragging some

protesters down the stairs. Witnesses say they were beating anyone who resisted including women and the elderly. I spoke to a man who was there.

He said he was also violently dragged from the crowd. He says his entire family's life savings is in one of the banks.

He's traveled to Hunan several times to protest. Terrified that his family's future is destroyed. Some of the protesters were left injured,

bloodied and bruised. This was one of the largest protests seen in China since the start of the pandemic. CNN has reached out to the local

authorities, there has been no response yet. There has also been widespread fear that the COVID health code system is being used to prevent potential

protesters from traveling after local officials in Hunan were punished for abusing the system.

That sparked nationwide outrage. People saw it as a blatant example of COVID controls being used for political control. Police are now

investigating the banks and have blamed fraudulent management practices for the crisis. But experts worry that this is just the tip of the iceberg with

much bigger financial problems to come because of skyrocketing local government debt that's been worsened by economic damage from the pandemic.

This social unrest also comes at a politically sensitive time for the Communist Party. We're just months away from the party congress when Xi

Jinping is expected to seek an unprecedented third term. Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.

ANDERSON: And some developing news now. Former Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone is facing fraud charges. U.K. prosecutors say they failed to

declare overseas assets were worth more than $476 million. The first case hearing in the case is set for next month in London.

[10:15:09]

ANDERSON: And some developing news for you there. All right. let's take a very short break. We'll be back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Russia stepping up attacks on civilians in eastern Ukraine as it works to take control of the entire Donbas region. Emergency services are

working to pull victims' bodies from the rubble of an apartment here. This building in Chasiv Yar that was struck by Russian rockets. Over the

weekend, at least 29 people there were killed.

Meantime, in Kharkiv, a school is left in ruin and at least six people there killed by Russian strikes on residential areas. And in the Russian-

occupied region of Kherson, Ukrainian forces are going after Russian supply lines. And after ammunition storage sites as they try to take back

territory. Scott McLean monitoring all of this from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. And Ukrainian saying they're going to step up defense in the south

with a force of one million.

One million boots on the ground effectively. Why is there such an emphasis from both sides on this part of the country? Just remind us and what is it

that the Ukrainians believe they can do next?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, it is not just stepping up the defensive strategy in that part of the country. It is also

seriously stepping up the offensive strategy as well. The Ukrainians have been using the new technology that they've gotten from the Americans, this

HIMARS systems and other tools at their disposal to fire at the Russian supply lines deep into enemy territory, trying to sort of cut off the

supply of weapons and ammunition that the Russians have access to.

They have also managed to capture a village not far from Kherson. This is significant because of course, Kherson is the city in the southern part of

Ukraine where the Russians essentially waltzed in there in the early days of war and were able to occupy it with relative ease. And they've held it

relatively easily since the war -- since then, since the early days of war. And so, the Ukrainians now trying to work to take back this region.

Of course, it is strategic. Kherson gives them access to the Black Sea as does Mykolaiv which is the Ukrainian stronghold. We all know that

Ukrainians have really struggled to get their products, particularly grain to market through the Black Sea. So, this would be a big game changer for

them. And that is why President Zelenskyy has ordered his troops to go and take back coastal regions of Ukraine.

That is according to the Ukrainian defense minister who spoke with the times, the British newspaper. He also said that look, manpower not the

issue. The entire Ukrainian fighting force as you mentioned, numbers around one million if you count police territorial defense border.

[10:20:06]

MCLEAN: And so, manpower is not the issue. It's not even the pledges of western weaponry. He says the issue is simply getting that weaponry to the

actual frontlines that has been far, far too slow. And that is where they're starting to see some casualties. The Russians in that region, they

are not rolling over either. They have shelled Mykolaiv pretty constantly over the last 24 hours leading to some injuries.

They are again, Mykolaiv, that Ukrainian stronghold that up until this point has really been a brick wall for the Russians that they have not been

able to get past.

ANDERSON: Scott McLean is on the ground. Scott, thank you.

Well, the intelligence arm of the Ukraine defense ministry says that Russia is trying to export what they call stolen grain from the occupied regions

Zaporizhia. We've talked a lot about this on this show about how the conflict cut off grain supplies around the world especially in North

Africa. CNN's David McKenzie joins me now live from Tunis, the capital of Tunisia with more on this. And specifically for Tunisia's economy but it's

so -- there's a wider story here and we can talk about that momentarily.

But specifically for Tunisia's economy, this is a real test, isn't it? Exacerbated by what is going on in Ukraine. Just explain for the benefit of

our viewers exactly how we got to this point, David?

MCKENZIE: Well, Becky it's a very tentative period for the economy here. It's already shaken by a whole lot of factors. And, you know, here in

Tunisia and across North Africa and of course, the Arab world, they're wrapping up their Eid celebrations. It's an important time of year to be

with family. And. you know, look behind me, it's an extraordinary place as Tunis. But you scratch underneath the surface and you find people who are

struggling just to survive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: Racing to feed the nation in the closing days of Tunisia's summer harvest.

Russia's cynical ploy to hold hostage more than 20 million tons of Ukrainian grain is leading to a food crisis here in Tunisia and much of

North Africa.

MCKENZIE (on camera): Are you worried it will have a long-term impact on Tunisia?

HABIB MRABET, REGIONAL DELEGATE, TUNISIAN AGRICULTURE MINISTRY (through translator): The war has really impacted both the consumer and our

agricultural productions. Right now, every country must become self reliant. If that's not possible, things are going to get very difficult.

MCKENZIE (voice over): They're scrambling to increase that production and change consumer habits. In sun-baked Tunisia farmers grow hard wheat to

make pasta and couscous.

MCKENZIE (on camera): But for soft wheat, the wheat that makes bread Tunisia gets around 60 percent of it from Ukraine and Russia. An official

told me that they will never be able to make up that number here. Not in five years, not even in 10.

MCKENZIE (voice over): That spells trouble said Shukria Moody (ph).

We can only sell what the government gives us he says. The baguettes are subsidized by our government heavily in debt. Tunisia can barely afford

imported flour from outside of Ukraine.

It's about daily survival. When the people are hungry they rebel he says.

Here they are just recovering from a crushing COVID pandemic and a decade of political uncertainty. The impact of the war in Ukraine could not have

come at a worst time. Even retired professionals like Huria Bousad and her husband can only afford a few luxuries.

HURIA BOUSAD, RETIRED TEACHER: The price is -- all the price are going up.

MCKENZIE: And what does that mean for you and your family?

BOUSAD: Young people they cannot marry now. They don't have enough money to live. They cannot have a family.

MCKENZIE: I've sold nothing today says Nasir Tamomi (ph). Absolutely nothing. This place should be jam packed before the Eid holiday he says but

nobody can afford meat.

On the road side, farmers like Walid (ph) are struggling to sell their sheep for Eid celebrations. The sheep don't seem to mind.

Animal feed prices are doubled because of Ukraine. It's a chain reaction. That's bad enough now he says. But the effect of the war is rarely going to

be felt next year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: And here's the difficult, Becky. You can't just flick a switch and change the way that farmers operate. They are trying to expand the

amount of farms here in Tunisia and elsewhere in the region that grow that hard wheat. They're also looking to get funds to buy the soft wheat. $130

million in just the last few days from the World Bank to help this country which is deeply in debt and facing both an economic crisis and political

uncertainty.

This war in Ukraine if it drags on, I can tell you, you really feel it. It's going to have a significant impact on in this region. Becky?

ANDERSON: Yes. What about that wider region? What's at stake here, David?

[10:25:08]

MCKENZIE: Well, what is really at stake in some ways is political stability. The future of these countries, Tunisia itself. As I described

there in that piece is heavily indebted. They are dealing with the impact of the COVID pandemic. The fallout stilled a decade later from the Jasmine

Revolution and the political instability in just a few days, few weeks, the president, Saied will preside over a referendum here where he's looking to

consolidate his control over the constitution of the government.

His critics say it's in a continuation of a constitutional coup that happened one year ago. All of this is playing out with the backdrop of this

economic difficulty that you see here in Tunisia. And you just look at the numbers, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, they all depend heavily

on wheat coming from Ukraine and also wheat from Russia, as well as fertilizer from Russia. And those inputs just haven't happened this year.

If this blockade continues, and if this war continues in Ukraine, you could see a very severe economic impact if there's not a profound strategy from

these governments and help from the outside world. Becky?

ANDERSON: David McKenzie is in Tunis. David, thank you. And we are covering more on the crises and other nations stemming from the war in Ukraine. The

impact that it's having Turkey, for example, mark in the Eid al-Adha holiday amid soaring inflation. And Egypt's debt-saddled government has

been forced to sell its assets from inflation, to food insecurity a lot more in the week ahead. This is the show of course, normally broadcast from

Abu Dhabi, our home in the Middle East.

Well, a year after massive protests rocked Cuba, the government that's still cracking down. We're live in Havana next with how some of last year's

protest is paying the price today. And later, in the next few days, you'll get the clearest view ever. The Final frontier. We've got a sneak peek at

the images, many space experts say we'll change history. We'll tune for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson normally broadcasting to you out of Abu Dhabi today. I am in London and you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD.

Well, it's been one year Since Cuba faced the most widespread protests since its revolution.

[10:30:02]

ANDERSON: Well, today, Cuba's president reportedly said that the nation is celebrating a victory of the people. But the government cracked down hard

on those protesters sending hundreds of them to prison with more prosecutions coming. CNN's Patrick Oppmann has been reporting from Cuba for

years, covered those protests last year. He joins me now live from Havana. You and I remember those protests, you were covering them.

We had you on extensively. What was achieved at the end of the day and what's been the fallout?

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN HAVANA-BASED CORRESPONDENT: What is shown really for the first time is what the Cuban government had said, for years that

dissent, internal dissent was really limited among these small groups of people they claimed were paid by the United States. That was completely

false and shown that dissent is much more widespread than the Cuban government.

Perhaps they themselves are new, and that there are many people across this island who simply would like to see a change in government, a change in how

this island is being run. And up until now the Cuban government has been unwilling to bend to that call for change, and instead it's cracking down

harder than ever.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OPPMANN: When the largest anti-government protests here since the Cuban Revolution took place last July, thousands of people poured into the

street. Demonstrators demanded food, medicine and political changes in spontaneous marches across the island. Protests even took place in smaller

cities like San Jose de la Salas where brothers Nadir (ph) Jorge Perdomo (ph) both teachers address this crowd of people that residents say remain

peaceful.

My sons went out because like every Cuban, they were desperate over the situation. The two men's mother told us, they are fathers. Every day here

we have less. The government crackdown was swift and harsh. As police arrested hundreds of protesters, Nadir and Jorge made it last video where

they said they were merely expressing the discontent that many humans feel.

Days later, the two brothers were arrested. According to court records that seen and reviewed neither man had a prior criminal record and both were

well regarded in their community. All the same. Jorge was sentenced to eight years in prison and a dear to six years after being convicted of

charges, including this orderly behavior and insulting public officials. Human rights groups say the Cuban government is trying to intimidate their

own people from taking to the streets again.

JUAN PAPPIER, SENIOR AMERICAS RESEARCHER, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: And we found that constantly prosecutors were charging Cubans for exercising their basic

rights such as the right to protest peacefully, the right to insult the president or to insult police officers, exercising their freedom of

expression.

OPPMANN: It remains to be seen though whether the mass trials will succeed in silencing dissent.

OPPMANN (on camera): A year after the protests took place and many of the economic problems that Cubans confront have only gotten worse. There are

frequent blackouts that lasts for hours and seemingly endless lines for food and fuel. Although the Cuban government has succeeded in cracking down

on the social unrest. Many Cubans say it could explode again in any moment.

So far, the government here says nearly 500 people have been convicted and sentenced for the roles in the protests, with some demonstrators receiving

up to 25 years after being convicted of sedition.

Officials say the protests were not the result of worsening living conditions on the island. But a campaign of sabotage carried out by Cuba's

Cold War enemy, the United States government.

But Martha (ph) Perdomo says no one had to encourage her sons to protest.

My son's weren't paid. They didn't have to go out. But they felt the pain of Cuba, she says. My sons were free that day, she says. Martha says that

local officials have ordered her to take down a sign she put up on the front of her house in a rare act of defiance, calling for the release of

her two sons. But the sign will stay up Martha says, until her son's finally are able to come home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OPPMANN: And Becky, there have been calls from across Cuban society for a pardon of people like Jorge and Nadir in nonviolent protesters. No

indications yet that the government is willing to let any of these protesters out of jail earlier. A harsh sentences continue to be handed

out.

ANDERSON: Meantime, what if anything is the government doing to improve the loss of the average Cuban?

OPPMANN: You know, really, I was thinking just the other day. You know, are things better now a year later? And now, they're quite a bit worse. Food

prices continue to go up. U.S. sanctions, the war in Ukraine and the government's inability to reform have led so many people over one percent

of the population to leave.

[10:35:09]

OPPMANN: So, Cubans are voting with their feet essentially. They are leaving in historic numbers, young, talented, intelligent people that this

island desperately needs.

ANDERSON: Patrick Oppmann reporting. And Cuban president says -- saying that the island will celebrate a victory of the people a year after mass

protests.

Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. And in Brazil, a politically motivated shooting claim the

life of a man celebrating his 50th birthday. The alleged shooter is a supporter of President Jair Bolsonaro. The victim, Marcela Arruda is a

staunch supporter of Mr. Bolsonaro's political rival former president Luiz Lula de Silva.

Several people were injured in a shooting outside an Argentinean soccer stadium. That happened in Lujan, northwest of Buenos Aires. Shots were

fired from a car near the stadium's entrance.

Now a fight had previously broken out after fans of the visiting team reportedly tried to force their way into the stadium.

And the death toll in the mass shooting at a bar in the South African township of Soweto has risen to 15. Police say a group of men armed with

rifles and pistols entered the bar early Sunday and started shooting randomly. The government is being urged to bolster gun regulations in the

country.

Well, coming up after the break. A familiar face takes home the top prize at the All England Club. Novak Djokovic wins Wimbledon again. So what's

next, for the tennis star? More on that coming up? Plus.

PAM MELROY, NASA DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR: What I have seen just moved me, as a scientist, as an engineer, and as a human being.

ANDERSON: What is it that they say is like nothing that they've ever seen before? NASA prepares to release the first images captured by a mega

telescope. More on that after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: -- launched into space.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Call center for --

(CROSSTALK)

FISHER: The team inside the web space telescopes flight control room is preparing to reveal what astronomers all over the world have been waiting

for for decades.

[10:40:05]

FISHER: The telescope's first full color images which are expected to be light years more impressive than the test images released last month, and

will include the deepest image of our universe that's ever been taken.

KEN SEMBACH, DIRECTOR, SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE INSTITUTE: Our view of the universe is definitely going to change on July 12th.

FISHER: Ken Sembach runs the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, home to Webb's Mission Control, and he predicts the

day that Webb's first images are released will be on par with the day that Galileo became the first person to ever point a telescope to the sky.

SEMBACH: There'll be a universe we knew before Webb and a universe we know after Webb. I really mean that. I think our perspective will change.

FISHER: NASA says some of the images released on July 12, still need to be taken. Others have already been captured and are being kept secret. But

NASA's leadership has gotten a sneak peek.

MELROY: What I have seen, just moved me as a scientist, as an engineer, and as a human being.

THOMAS ZURBUCHEN, ASSOCIATE NASA ADMINISTRATOR: A sense of awe and frankly, got emotional.

FISHER: But getting emotional about the telescope is something Lee Feinberg has learned to bury after working on Webb for more than two decades. The

telescope's most recent brush with death took place just a few weeks ago, when a micro meteoroid struck one of the telescope's massive golden mirrors

which are critical for its operation.

LEE FEINBERG, WEBB'S OPTICAL TELESCOPE ELEMENT MANAGER: Earlier in my career, it might have been a punched in the gut. But what I've learned

about working on a big project like this is things are never as bad as they first seem or never as good as they first seem.

FISHER: He was right. The telescope survived the strike. And NASA is now on the verge of handing this $10 billion telescope over to the scientists

whose research proposals have been selected for the first year of observations.

FEINBERG: It is just doing as well as we could have ever hoped if not better, and so I think the scientists are just going to be extremely happy

to use it. And we're going to be excited to see what gets, you know, what comes out of it.

Kristen Fisher, CNN, Baltimore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Novak Djokovic is back on top with his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title. Making it Djokovic's 21st Grand Slam title following a

rocky couple of months. So, what does all of this mean for the tennis star going forward? CNN's World Sport's Patrick Snell joins us now. I thought

the match was super. I thought his speech -- Novak's speech was one of the best that I've heard in accepting the trophy, Patrick. What do you think?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Yes. I think it was very emotional. It was a wonderful occasion for Novak Djokovic, Becky. And I think he was

extremely relieved because it was been famously documented. He couldn't play in the Australian Open at the start of his year. He spoke to those

emotions as well. He spoke to how difficult it's been. He was deported from the country of resistance not getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

And he needed to win this Wimbledon. So, so desperately in his mind, he -- of course, at the near miss at the recent French Open in Paris but he

wanted to win it for so many reasons. And he got the job done brilliantly I thought against Nick Kyrgios who was superb. He had a tournament to

remember as well, the Australian with his own brand, shall we say of entertainment. But boy he needed this one. He gets to career major number

21, Becky.

And he closest to within one now of a Rafa Nadal. And I never thought I'd be saying this earlier in my career but he's now one ahead in terms of Slam

titles, one ahead of a certain icon from Switzerland Roger Federer.

ANDERSON: Amazing. Amazing. What a year it's been for Djokovic. More on that of course in World Sport coming up after this short break with

Patrick. I'm back with the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD after this. Stay with us.

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