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Running For Cover In Kyiv; Turkey's President Secures Third Term; Ukrainian Recruits Training With Counteroffensive In Mind. Aired 10-10:45a ET
Aired May 29, 2023 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:29]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Lynda Kinkade, live from the CNN Center. Welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD.
Coming up this hour, Russia launches a surprise daytime attack on Kyiv, sending people running for cover in the Ukrainian capital.
Five more years, another term for Turkish President Erdogan. What can we expect? We'll go live to Istanbul.
A harsh future, Uganda's president signs one of the world's toughest anti- LGBTQ bills into law.
And America's most dysfunctional fictional family bows out from our screens. Succession heads into television history.
The beginning of Ukraine where explosions have been reported around the capital key for a second day in a row. Take a look at this video. You see
there children running to a shelter. Ukraine says its air defenses shot down dozens of cruise missiles and drones launched at the capital earlier.
Right now, you're seeing footage showing the moment falling debris almost hit a bus after Ukraine intercepted a missile attack. All this comes as the
country's top general hints that Kyiv's counteroffensive could be imminent.
CNN's Sam Kiley joins us now from eastern Ukraine. So, Sam, we've been reporting on these the last couple of nights of heavy drone attacks, and
then a barrage of missiles last night that continued well into today. How unusual is that? And what was Russia trying to target here?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: People is the short answer to that, Lynda. This was an attack in daylight with Iskander
missiles, which are among Russia's more potent surface-to-surface and air- to-surface missiles. They are ground attack missiles, specifically designed with the very heavy amount of high explosive. And mercifully, from the Kyiv
perspective, they have the air defenses to bring them all down.
Last night was also an intense bombardment, again focused on the Ukrainian capital, the 16th day this month of that intense bombardment. The overnight
bombardment clearly intended to overwhelm the air defenses and to soak up as much of that capability that Ukraine has ahead of the planned summer
offensive or expected summer offensive. Daylight attacks, though, when there are civilians out on the streets, people are out and about, out of
the shelters, but forced to take shelter underground, clearly an attempt to kill civilians, but also try to break the resolve of the Ukrainians.
We saw a lot of this in the past systematic attempt to kill civilians by Russia, particularly at the beginning of this campaign. Then they got more
focused on the energy sector and the capital, but this, there's no question, was an attempt to attack civilians effectively, Lynda.
KINKADE: And, Sam, nuclear weapons for everyone. That's what the leader of Belarus said in a Sunday interview. And it comes up to Belarus announced
that Russia will transfer some of its nuclear weapons to Belarus territory. Take us through those comments and the reaction you're seeing.
KILEY: Well, Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, doesn't have any nuclear weapons. The nuclear weapons that he may get from Russia will remain very,
very firmly under Russian control. They're tactical nuclear weapons. So, on the one level, you could see this as part of his sort of absurdist
authoritarian drama that these sorts of people seem to enjoy.
But on the other more serious note, this could be a threat essentially authorized by the Kremlin to the international community to back off in
terms of its support for Ukraine or risk a proliferation of nuclear weapons back into the sort of areas still left under Russian influence since the
collapse of the Soviet Union. And Belarus and similar nations might fall into that category. But Belarus itself doesn't have any nuclear weapons to
give anybody, so his offer to do so is frankly absurd, Lynda.
KINKADE: And, of course, Sam, you've been covering Ukrainian combat training. How prepared is Ukraine for a potential counteroffensive?
KILEY: Well, there are a lot of combat brigades that have been put together, trained very highly by NATO partners.
[10:05:01]
There's a lot of new equipment has been supplied to Ukraine, but there's no question that Ukrainians themselves are quite open about what they fear and
know the consequences of a summer offensive will be for ordinary soldiers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KILEY (voice-over): These are new recruits training. They could be on the front line in a couple of weeks. A whole lot of blue on blue. In training,
mistakes are harmless.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KILEY: And what happened to you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (text): I got hit in the face with a pellet.
KILEY: How long have you been doing this training?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (text): Two months. I recently joined the Army. So for now I'm here for two months training.
KILEY: What do you think about the coming offensive? Do you want to get involved?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (text): Yes, I do.
KILEY: You're not worried?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (text): I think we're going to win.
KILEY: These young men, they've been having quite a lot of fun running around in the woods. And sometimes, things get quite funny. But ultimately,
this business is deadly serious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KILEY: These recruits could be weeks away from combat. Pretend war, turning to this where death is all too real. Wounded veteran, Colonel Oleksandr
Piskun runs the training.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COL. OLEKSANDR PISKUN, UKRAINIAN NATIONAL GUARD (text): I know what it's like to lose loved ones. But this is war and there is no other choice. Of
course, once the unit going into action, some of these guys will die. They are all aware of that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KILEY: That experience is hard one. Oleksandr came face to face with the Russian, who shot him in Bakhmut last week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KILEY: What would you say to young volunteers or conscripts joining now?
COL. PISKUN (text): To be prepared for the good and the bad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KILEY: The hospitals got plans for dealing with Ukraine's offensive, which is expected this summer. Col. Pushkin knows that this will not be his last
memorial service. This military cemetery has space to grow. Soldiers are confronted with grim truth here, that many young men are forever in tuned
in this parade of graves.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KILEY (on camera): Now Lynda, that is a grim reminder of what is ahead for the Ukrainians. But also, the Ukrainians have been conducting psychological
operations, also physical attacks behind Russian lines, all intended to rattle the Russian soldiers more deeply because they saw last year in the
summer and the fall with successful counterattacks then that if they can break the fighting spirit of the Russians, they can be folded up pretty
quickly. Lynda.
KINKADE: Yes. Interesting report there. Sam Kiley for us in eastern Ukraine. Good to have you with us. Thank you.
Well, supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are celebrating his victory in Turkey's presidential run-off election. He delivered an address
outside the presidential palace saying the most urgent topic ahead is to reverse Turkey's high inflation. And now -- and that that is -- was the
time to "Resurrect cities," he said, "that were destroyed in February's earthquake."
Our Nada Bashir was outside the AK Party headquarters as people celebrated the win last night. She joins us now live from Istanbul. Good to see you
again, Nada.
So, the opposition called the election unfair. And despite the opposition parties uniting to defeat Erdogan, he is now starting his third term as
president and tackling inflation certainly very high on his to-do list priority.
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: High on his to-do list priority, but also high on the concerns of the voters we were speaking to yesterday as they were
heading to the ballot box. This is a country facing a real cost of living crisis and many observers and economists have blamed President Erdogan's
unorthodox monetary policies for that inflation that we are seeing and the plummeting of the lira as a result of his insistence to keep interest rates
low.
And that is something he intends to continue doing. He believes in this economic vision that he has put forward. He believes that it will see
returns soon.
[10:10:01]
And that was certainly what he has said throughout the campaign. It's what he told our Becky Anderson during an exclusive interview and it is
something that he is committed to. When we were outside the AK party headquarters yesterday, his supporters that we were speaking to, also
believe in that vision. They feel that President Erdogan, having spent more than two decades in power, is the leader that will be able to provide
stability for Turkey in a time when the country is facing crises on multiple fronts. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASHIR (voice-over): Cheers of triumph, a declaration of victory. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan securing yet another term in office. After a closely
fought run-off election on Sunday, Erdogan of the incumbent AK party came away with just over 52 percent of the vote, according to preliminary
results. A comfortable win in the face of what many analysts believe to be his biggest political challenge in over two decades.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BASHIR: We're outside the AK party headquarters in Istanbul. You can see the crowd behind me. Thousands of President Erdogan supporters have
gathered to celebrate his election victory. And there is a real sense of jubilation of, triumph here. These are some of his most ardent supporters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We love him very much. He's our father, our grandfather, our everything. We voted for him because we trust
him. We love him very much. We are always with him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASHIR (voice-over): In the opposition camp, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of an alliance of opposition parties, fell by more than two million votes
behind Erdogan, a bitter blow to a once optimistic coalition hopeful for change in Turkey.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEMAL KILICDAROGLU, TURKISH OPPOSITION CHP CANDIDATE (through translator): In this election, the will of the people to change an authoritarian
government became clear despite all the pressures.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASHIR (voice-over): The challenges ahead for the president are many, chief among them the economy. Turkey is in the depths of a severe cost of living
crisis with soaring inflation and a plummeting lira caused, in large part, by Erdogan's own unorthodox monetary policies.
Meanwhile, anger over the state's poor preparation and chaotic response to February's devastating earthquake is still raw, with more than 50,000
people killed and millions more displaced by the disaster. On the global stage, Turkey's strongman has cemented the country's place as an
influential power broker in the region, sometimes at the cost of straining relations with the West.
But at home, his leadership has stoked fears over the future of democracy in Turkey. Over recent years, Erdogan has doubled down on quashing dissent,
centralizing his grip on state power, and ensuring his near total influence over the country's media. Despite criticism, supporters maintain that this
is a win for political stability.
For opponents, however, Sunday's result has only deepened fears that the country could be heading ever closer towards authoritarian territory.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASHIR (on camera): And those concerns are deep set for supporters of the opposition. We heard from the opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu speaking
yesterday, not essentially conceding defeat, but he did say that this was perhaps the most difficult time the country has faced when it came to
democracy, given the pressures that the opposition has come under over the course of the campaign.
But he also said that the results that we saw, the fact that this was such a tight race and the fact that Turkey has never seen a runoff before in the
presidential elections, shows that the will of the people is changing. This is a deeply polarized nation and there is a real hunger for change here in
Turkey.
KINKADE: Right now, obviously, Nada, looking ahead, this is Erdogan's third term. And by the end of this term, he will have been in power in Turkey for
a quarter of a century. You just described him in that report as an influential power broker in the region and he's certainly made great
strides negotiating the Ukraine-Russia grain deal. In terms of foreign policy going forward, will we see any major changes or will it be largely
status quo?
BASHIR: Well, look, Turkey is very much an important player. It is a key NATO ally. It is a key interlocutor when it comes to issues in the Middle
East, particularly for its Western allies, including the United States and the United Kingdom. So that is certainly a position that President Erdogan
will seek to maintain and strengthen particularly in the region. We've seen Turkey playing a key role in mediating peace efforts. And it has been
directly involved in conflicts in neighboring countries, particularly in recent years we've seen in Syria and in Libya, for example.
So this is a big challenge for President Erdogan to continue to strengthen Turkey's position on the world stage.
[10:15:00]
But, of course, a key focus for President Erdogan will continue to be the war in Ukraine. Now, President Erdogan has drawn some criticism from his
NATO allies when it comes to his relationship with Russia and with President Putin. We heard from President Erdogan ahead of the election
saying that that relationship he shares with President Putin is special. It's something he intends to maintain.
But as we've seen, Turkey has been trying somewhat successfully when it came to that grain deal to position itself as a potential mediator, and
that is unlikely to change in this term.
KINKADE: All right. Nada Bashir, some great reporting over the last 24 hours in Istanbul, Turkey. Good to have you with us. Thank you.
Well, in Nigeria, Bola Tinubu has been sworn in as the country's president. That's despite a legal challenge to his election from the opposition. His
inauguration took place just hours ago in the capital city of Abuja. He is inheriting a struggling economy as well as massive security challenges.
CNN's Stephanie Busari has more from Lagos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SENIOR EDITOR, AFRICA (voice-over): He's the man on a so-called Broom Revolution promising to clean up Africa's largest economy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOLA TINUBU, NIGERIAN PRESIDENT: Sweeping corruption away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUSARI (voice-over): But that's only one of the challenges he faces. His first is slightly more immediate, a legal one from the country's
opposition. Tinubu from the ruling APC party may have been declared the winner back in March, but many have criticized the election for voting
irregularities, violence, and attempts to disenfranchise voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TINUBU: To those who didn't support me, I have that you're not allowed in this appointment of this moment to keep you from realizing the historic
national progress we can make by working together.
BUSARI: Former two-time governor Tinubu has long harbored ambitions to rule Nigeria, but it will be a challenge of a lifetime to unite a fractured
nation, fix an economy on life support, and tackle spiraling insecurity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUSARI (voice-over): Nigeria's total debt stands at more than $103 billion, and some analysts say the incoming president must get to grips with this
urgently.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROLAKE AKINKURGE-FILANI, CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER, MIXTA AFRICA: Is now really a focus on the structural aspects of building sustainable economic
development? How are we going to plug some of the inefficiencies and end the wastages in the system?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUSARI (voice-over): But that's not all. The country is grappled with violence, insurgency and crime, leaving some wondering which way forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AKINKURGE-FILANI: One of the challenges of Nigerian societies here is there is still huge polarization between the ultra-rich and the super poor and in
some ways successive governments have lost the social contract with the majority of the population.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUSARI (voice-over): Nigeria also faces a multitude of social problems, including inadequate access to education and health care, widespread
poverty, and gender inequality. And expectations are high, that Tinubu will hit the ground running.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe there's future, and I believe he will be -- he's fitting for the position.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We really don't need a government coming and saying they are going to give us all the job. We just need a government that puts
things in place for us to achieve what we can naturally achieve as very strong-willed people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUSARI (voice-over): As he assumes office, Tinubu was work to provide real solutions to these pressing problems, and only time will tell if he can
live up to the aspirations of the Nigerian people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Our thanks to Stephanie Busari for that report from Lagos.
Well, Spain may be on the verge of change as well. The Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is calling for snap parliamentary elections in July. Hours earlier,
the conservative Popular Party had made huge gains in local and regional elections over the Prime Minister's ruling Socialist Party.
The U.S. President, Joe Biden and Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy are trying to get members of their parties to swallow a bitter pill. Can they
get lawmakers to support their debt ceiling deal before the U.S. defaults? We'll have a live report from Washington next.
Whilst in Uganda, activists are getting ready to challenge one of the world's toughest anti-LGBTQ laws that the country has just enacted. We'll
have that report too.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:21:45]
KINKADE: President Joe Biden and Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy are turning up the pressure today on members of their own parties. They're
trying to convince lawmakers to support their agreement to limit spending and raise the U.S. debt ceiling. It's a race against time because officials
say the U.S. could default on its debt one week from today. To avoid that, the deal must pass both the House and the Senate. But the agreement
includes provisions that neither party supports.
We have more on this. We're joined by CNN's Lauren Fox, who's live on Capitol Hill, and our Arlette Saenz, who joins us from the White House.
Good to have you both with us.
So Arlette, first to you. The U.S. President and the House Speaker have this tentative agreement. What are the concessions?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy finalized this deal over the weekend. But
it doesn't mean that the road is quite over just yet. They still need to convince members of both parties to sign on to the agreement.
Now, while this deal will raise the debt ceiling up until 2025, which has just passed the 2024 midterm or presidential elections, I should say, there
are a number of concessions that were made on behalf of the White House. And probably the key one relates to work requirements when it comes to food
stamps. That is something that Progressives have really balked at. This agreement would slowly phase in a new age limit for those work
requirements, raising it from 49 up through the age of 54.
Now, Progressives have expressed quite a bit of frustration with the inclusion of this proposal, but what White House officials have argued to
Democrats in private is that they were able to prevent any further toughening of other work requirements. Chief, among them, really the issue
pertaining to Medicaid, which is something that the President had really said that was not an option for him, even though that was something that
Republicans did want to pursue.
But now, they are facing this difficult task of trying to corral support from both sides of the aisle. The White House has argued to those
Progressives that they were able to, you know, stave off any type of impact to the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure, which were some of the
key priorities for Democrats.
Now, White House officials are expected to continue briefing members throughout the day. They had briefings with Democratic lawmakers just
yesterday. There was also expected to be some one-on-one phone calls with members of Congress as well, as they're trying to corral enough support to
get these bills across the finish line with that June 5th deadline looming.
KINKADE: Yes. And speaking of that finish line to Lauren, both the House Speaker and the U.S. President have to convince their own parties
essentially to pass this in Congress. And time is not on their side.
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, they really don't have that much time, but the House of Representatives is working pretty
quickly. They are hoping to vote as soon as Wednesday. They are going to go to an important committee, the Rules Committee tomorrow night. The
expectation would be that they could pass it out of that committee, which establishes sort of the playing rules for getting to the floor of the
House.
Once they actually get that passed, though, it has to go to the U.S. Senate. And that could take a bit more time, because while the U.S. Senate
can move very quickly when it wants to, any one member can really slow down that process, force the majority leader Chuck Schumer to burn a lot of
time.
[10:25:03]
And that could put you right up against that June 5th deadline. I want to go back, though, to the fight to get the votes in the House. The
expectation is there's going to be a number of conservatives who do not vote for this package. Many of them already speaking out against it. You
have people like Representative Bob Good as well as others who are concerned about the fact that they believe this did not cut spending at the
amount that they wanted it to. So, there's going to be some votes lost on the Republican side. There's also probably going to be some votes lost on
the Progressive side because of those work requirements that Arlette was discussing.
So that gives you a sense, this deal has to pass out of the House of Representatives right in the middle. And it's kind of a rare moment on
Capitol Hill where you have sort of this collection of Republicans and Democrats who are moderates who are going to have to get this past in a
bipartisan way given the fact that the House of Representatives typically just passes bills along party lines, that's going to be something to keep
an eye on.
KINKADE: Yeah. Certainly is. Lauren Fox for us at Capitol Hill, Arlette Saenz outside the White House. Good to have you both on the program today.
We will no doubt talk again in the coming days. Thanks.
Well, still to come, anger, frustration and fear as Uganda's president approves one of the harshest anti-LGBTQ laws in the world.
And a little later, an earthquake in the world of quiet luxury. Late Logan Roy's townhouse may be getting a prince so far, but a promise that's all
we'll divulge at this point in time as we say farewell to HBO's Emmy- winning hit, Succession.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: Welcome back, I'm Lynda Kinkade at the CNN Center. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Good to have you with us.
Here are you headlines this hour. Officials say Ukrainian have shot down dozens of Russian cruise missiles and drones targeting Kyiv. The capital
has been targeted on 15 separate days this month alone. Ukraine is promising swift retaliation against Russia for the barrage of attacks.
Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, securing yet another term in office. Mr. Erdogan has already ruled for 20 years. In Sunday, he defeated
his opponent in a run-off election with 52 percent of the vote. He's vowing to tackle soaring inflation in Turkey and to resurrect city is destroyed in
February's earthquakes.
[10:30:01]
Nigeria has a new president. Bola Tinubu was sworn into office a short time ago. He won February's election with a promise to unite the fractured
country, who faces big economic and security challenges. His victory is also being legally challenged by the country's opposition.
Uganda's president has now signed into law what could be the anti- homosexuality act of 2023. It's one of the toughest anti-LGBTQ laws in the world. And it includes the death penalty for what's known as aggravated
homosexuality. The West has strongly condemned the law and is threatening to suspend aid over it. Activists are also getting ready to challenge it.
Our David McKenzie is covering the story for us. David, these are eye- watering laws, among the harshest in the world, including the death penalty for the aggravated homosexuality. Take us through these laws.
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, it's certainly a significant moment. Activists and human rights activists in
particular will be very depressed today with the news that President Yoweri Museveni signed this bill into law. Now it is the law of the land. There
have been several years of discussion on this particular law. And as you said, it has very harsh penalties and is in its headline known as the
"anti-homosexuality bill," including life in prison, for acts of homosexuality for aggravated homosexuality, the death penalty according to
that bill.
And then there are several other notable elements within the law, including that if you promote homosexuality in the words of the bill, you could get
several years up to 10 years in prison. Now that is particularly worrying to those who have health services and NGOs in Uganda, because they say it
means that there will be a limit on the amount of health services given to people who identify as part of the LGBTQ community, because they are too
afraid to actually show their faces in public.
The bill also says that people should, in fact, alert authorities on people they expect they think are gay. And this say activists, at least one
activist I spoke to, means they are very worried that people would take the law into their own hands. He says they are already living in fear because
of the atmosphere over the discussion of this bill. Now that it's signed as law of the land, their fear could get that much worse. Lynda.
MACFARLANE: So David, if people are too fearful to come forward to get help if they've got HIV, what do these laws mean for the country's progress
tackling HIV?
MCKENZIE: Well, in particular on that one issue, the head of the PEPFAR, the U.S. initiative on HIV AIDS, as well as the Global Fund and others
already have come out saying that this is very dangerous because people will be too afraid to go to clinics, to get services, even get education
when it comes to sexual health. But there's also a broader fear here in that this will lead to an even further crackdown on those people
identifying with LGBTQ in Uganda.
Already, scores of people, according to my sources, have fled the country into neighboring Kenya. Others are trying to seek asylum. I spoke to one
activist who's been sheltering young men who've been thrown out of their homes in recent months, and he has to move that shelter on an almost weekly
basis because they could face prosecution from the authorities. Now, this is just the latest bill of its kind in the African continent.
There was the similar bill that is being pushed in Ghana, also homophobic laws that have been put through in Nigeria and elsewhere. Now, while MPs
and those for this anti-homosexuality bill have repeatedly said it's about sovereignty for their nation, there is a growing body of evidence that in
particular U.S. conservative groups have in fact been involved in trying to push these laws through with their Ugandan fellow travelers. Lynda.
MACFARLANE: All right. David McKenzie for us in Johannesburg, thank you.
Well, the famous Grand Canal in Venice turned green over the weekend. Although it needs to try to figure out what caused the water to turn this
fluorescent color on Sunday morning. Police collected water samples and are looking at surveillance video in an effort to try to get to the bottom of
this mystery.
CNN's Barbie Nadeau was tracking the story for us. Bobby, at this point in time, does it seem to be a prank or could it be something more sinister?
What are authorities saying about it?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, originally authorities were convinced it was a climate activism. We've seen so many of these things going on here
in Rome turning the water in the Trevi Fountain black with charcoal and things like that.
[10:35:00]
But none of these climate activist groups took claim for it. They said, no, it wasn't us. Great idea, but it wasn't us. So they're, not going on the
theory right now that it was a prank. Back in 1968, an artist actually turned the Canal green as an art exhibition, and nobody's taking claim for
that either. So they're looking at this as being an accident in which they believe that a small amount -- a large amount of a substance usually used
in a small form to kind of track water leaks and things like that in the canal somehow got dumped into the canal and turned it so green like that,
Lynda.
MACFARLANE: Wow. All right, we will stay on this story. And until we find some answers, Barbie Nadeau for us in Rome. Thank you.
Well, still ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, trending on social media, the French Open. But it's not about the matches, but rather an on court snub.
And who doesn't love that music? There's this stealth wealth trend, and a profane new catchphrase. HBO's Big Hit, Succession, may be over but it --
the Roman siblings are back for some more. We all have the finale and details on that, but no spoilers when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: Treachery, privilege, power. Some of the themes coursing through HBO's mega hit show, Successions, since it debuted almost five
years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to get nasty.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, buckle up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: Succession's finale, which drops Sunday night in the U.S., is no tragedy. In fact, critics in social media largely agree that the last
ever episode delivered a knockout finish to the pitch black comedy drama. Fans have long said the story of the monster media mogul Logan Roy and his
hapless children is Shakespearean in its scope. A piercing look at global influence and what people would do to hang onto it. Succession's creator
Jesse Armstrong has described the series as a tragedy. But today, there is only sorrow for the fans that it is over. And unlike Roman Roy, you can bet
many haven't pre-grieved. What a great show.
Well, rock band Queen could be in the running for a historic sale of their music.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUEEN, BAND: Don't stop me now, I'm having such a good time. I'm having a ball. Don't stop me now. If you want to have a good time, just give me a
call, don't stop me now, because I'm having a good time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: A source tells CNN that discussions are well underway for Universal Music Group to acquire Queen's catalog from the Disney Music
Group. And this deal could potentially surpass a billion dollars, making it the highest valued catalog on record.
[10:40:04]
Well, that current record is held by Bruce Springsteen's catalog, which was sold in 2021 for around $500 million. You're bound to have that song in
your head for the rest of the day.
The Little Mermaid made big bucks at the U.S. box office this Memorial Day weekend here in the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know how, but I know something's starting right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: That looks magical. The new Disney release is reportedly on track to make $118 million in its debut, making it the fifth highest
Memorial Day opening in history. The live action retelling of the 1988 animated hit film series, Halle Bailey Ariel hit many of the story beats
fans know and love, yet still showcases new faces, some new songs and a few surprising updates to the original story. Can't wait to see that one with
my girls.
Well, the crowd booed a Ukrainian tennis player at the French Open yesterday after she refused to shake her opponent's hand who is from
Belarus. Hirena Sabalenka beat Marta Kostyuk, 6-3, 6-2 at the French Open. And what makes this story really interesting is the reaction from the
Belarusian player.
Andy Scholes joins me now with all the details. This is certainly trending on every social media platform I've seen.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. And Lynda, Sabalenka, to her credit afterwards, when she was asked about this in her post-match press
conference, she said she didn't blame Kostyuk at all for not going to shake her hands because she said think of her situation if she went back to the
Ukraine, her friends, family would have been saying to her if she would have shaken her hand. So, credit to Sabalenka for saying she understands it
completely. And then she said, look, none of those athletes want war at all. It's just unfortunate for them, but she wasn't surprised at all about
how it all went down.
The only thing she was surprised about was how those fans there at Roland- Garros booed Kostyuk. She said that they probably, you know, shouldn't have been doing that considering the whole situation in the grand scheme of
things because as I just mentioned, Sabalenka herself didn't blame Kostyuk at all for not shaking her hands.
MACFARLANE: Yeah. Exactly. Certainly, a contrast of support for other Ukrainian sports players. Good to have you with us, Andy Scholes. We will
catch you after the break. We'll watch more WORLD SPORTS and I'll be back at the top of the hour with CONNECT THE WILD. Stay with us.
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