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Ukraine Launches New Drone Attack in Moscow; Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea Break with ECOWAS; Okinawa Evacuates 600,000 in Advance of Typhoon Khanun; Analysts Predict Larger than Expected Oil Deficits; European Countries Evacuating Citizens from Niger; Myanmar Military Pardons Some Charges against Aung San Suu Kyi; UNESCO Recommends Adding Venice to Heritage Danger List. Aired 10-10:40a ET

Aired August 01, 2023 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00]

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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): I'm Becky Anderson, in London for you. This is CONNECT THE WORLD.

Coming up this, hour details on the new drone attack in Moscow.

Evacuations, begin after the coup in Niger.

Beijing underwater as a storm batters China.

Later this hour, the federal grand jury investigating former U.S. president Donald Trump, meeting later today.

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ANDERSON: Sending a message to the heart of the Kremlin for the second, time in just days. A drone struck a government building in Moscow's

prominent financial district. Russia says it shot down two other, drones and it blames Ukraine.

Kyiv not confirming the, strike but says Moscow is quote, "getting used to a fully fledged war." CNN Fred Pleitgen connecting us to latest

developments,

Fred, it does seem, now that the war is being taken to these guys and over Moscow, how are Russia's defense systems coping in the first instance?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: First of all, I think you're absolutely right, I think increasingly strikes are taking

place in Moscow, certainly you can see the residents are also taking note of that as well.

We know, of course, there have been several attempted drone strikes, on Moscow. Over the past I would say two months or so. Now it seems they're

not only getting closer but in some, cases also apparently hitting their targets.

Now as far as the Russian air defenses are concerned, I think a lot of it comes down to who is saying it. The Ukrainians, for their part, obviously

believe this was a fairly successful strike, that took place, also one that took place on Sunday as well.

The Russians for their part, are saying they foiled the drone attack. They say one of the drones was taken down using electronic countermeasures, as

they put. It obviously in some way meddling or messing with the drone's navigation systems, causing it to crash. The other one was shot down by air

defenses, the Russians say.

Nevertheless, one of the things that could be telling, very difficult to say but could be telling is the fact that evac (ph) to one of the houses

that was hit today, one of the buildings that was hit today, it's a pretty large building in the financial district, was the same one that was hit on

Sunday.

It's the building in that financial district, known as Moscow City, that does not only house financial, companies but also some government offices

as, well that's why we are hearing from the Ukrainians today, as we heard from Ukrainians on Sunday, saying, the war is coming to Russia's capital

and it's there to stay.

They are, saying Russia should get used to something, like this or scenes like this happening more often in the future -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Fred Pleitgen is on the story for you.

Fred thank, you.

Russia says it destroyed three drones, that were targeting its patrol vessels in the Black Sea. CNN hasn't been able to verify this claim in

Ukraine. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has been getting a firsthand look at this counter offensive. He tells us the challenge is two-pronged: capturing

territory and keeping it.

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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice-over): The fight so fierce and victory so bitter, there is little left of

Staromaiorske to defend it from; no cover for troops, no structures, just the dust of a tiny four-road village. The first gains of Ukraine's renewed

full-throttle counteroffensive, so small but symbolic.

Russia even claimed Monday with constant shelling it had pushed Ukraine out of it again. Something these men, fresh back from that fight, would scoff

at.

Clearvas (ph), his call sign, fought all the 10 days of the assault until the Russians finally fled. Here he is, as shells rain around in the initial

advance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

WALSH (voice-over): "When you assault on the enemy shelling," he says, "you have nowhere to hide. That's the hardest part."

They've since tried to assault again twice with small groups.

And he fought for here, too, Neskuchne, the town before it, where the Russians hit 200 troops in the basements not even leaving the toilet. So

Ukraine attacked with a smaller force.

He takes us to where the Russians made their final stand, the school halls and its corridors.

"There is no love," says the wall.

[10:05:00]

WALSH (voice-over): They seem to relish the nothing they brought and left no clues as to why they fought.

WALSH: One of the hard things for the Ukrainians to understand is quite why the Russians are fighting so hard for here, Neskuchne and the more

recent victory of Staromaiorske down the road.

Is it that these are their last lines of defense?

Well, no. They think there's far more fighting to be done.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

WALSH (voice-over): "I hope that when we get through their last line of defense," he says, "then they start to run."

For now, they still feel there is something behind them.

"Yes, we feel support but we are very, very tired."

There is so much more ahead to come. Ukraine may have put in its reserves now to the fight but they face the same Russian brutality.

"The tactics haven't changed," he says. "They put the Storm-Z convicts in front with no communications or information. They stand until the death. I

don't understand their motivation or what they're fighting for."

Riva (ph) carries a new Russian AK-12 as a trophy as he describes the gas they used on him.

"There was chaotic shooting," he says, "to find out where we were." Then for gas, "You don't feel it. It moves slow along the ground. I was packing

my rucksack when I felt burning on my throat and nose."

One mine zapper (ph), call sign Volt (ph), is busy telling me how the Russians have started booby-trapping mines, putting a grenade under an

anti-tank mine, when he's interrupted.

Almost endless, the noise of outgoing fire. They are moving but just not sure how much longer for -- Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Neskuchne, Ukraine.

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ANDERSON: France is preparing to evacuate its and other E.U. citizens from Niger, starting today. French officials met in Paris on Monday to put

together an emergency plan.

Meanwhile two of Niger's neighbors, Burkina Faso and Mali, have now joined Guinea in supporting the coup, promising to defend the country against any

foreign aggression, a thinly veiled warning to France as well as to other African nations in the region, not to intervene.

With us now Larry Madowo in Nairobi and Jim Bittermann is in Paris.

Let's start with you. Niger neighbors reacting right now.

What's being said?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a full throated defense of Niger and the military junta that's deposed president Mohamed Bazoum. It's

extraordinary that these statements all came out at the same time, from Burkina Faso, Mali, they're both neighbor -- their neighbor, Niger, but

also from Guinea.

So all of these four countries have one thing in common: they've all had coups; in fact, five coups in the last three or four years. And they all

see a sudden kinship here, the club of coup plotters (ph). And these (INAUDIBLE) have been coordinated because the language is very similar.

And it begins here with the prime minister of Mali saying, this warning three times.

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COL. ABDOUAYE MAIGA, SPOKESPERSON, MALI MILITARY JUNTA (through translator): Warn that any military intervention against Niger will amount

to a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali.

The transitional governments of Burkina Faso and Mali invite the living forces to be ready and mobilized. Lend a hand to the people of Niger in

these dark hours of pan-Africanism.

The brotherly peoples of Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea aspire to more recognition and respect for their sovereignty.

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MADOWO: Sovereignty is a word these countries keep coming back to. There's a reason why they are is so aggressive, in their defense of Niger and this

presidential guard overthrowing the president, because, if this military intervention that the regional bloc ECOWAS is threatened, if it was to

succeed, if they were to send the military to Niger, to reinstate president Mohamed Bazoum, if that were to be successful, there is no reason why they

can't do that in Burkina Faso in or Mali or in Guinea.

So in terms of self-preservation, they need to stick together, this club. Otherwise, if one, falls the rest of them could all fall. It could be a

quick domino effect.

And it's also, interesting that they're riding on this wave of anti-France (ph) sentiment, that's been bubbling in Niger, in Mali, in Guinea, in

Burkina Faso and a large part of the rest of the region.

So it's convenient for, them that they appear to have public support for so many people who are angry at, France (INAUDIBLE) the influence that France

has in the region.

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ANDERSON: Yes, fascinating. Now this message is clearly aimed at members of ECOWAS in the region. These are regional names and, of course,

specifically to Paris.

Jim, we know of the French history, here obviously. Evacuations as we understand it now beginning in earnest.

What do we know at this point?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: What we heard from our reporter on the ground, who's been out at the airport and then seeing a

number of French that are gathering, hundreds of French that are gathering there.

There's maybe also be some other Europeans in, there because the French are going to give a hand to the Germans and perhaps the Spanish that have their

citizens in Niger. And they're going to try and evacuate those people who want.

Basically what the French government has said is that anyone who wants to go can go. They told them to report to the airport, with one suitcase and

water and food just in case the flights out are delayed. And they're waiting now I think for the first flight to go.

There will probably be a regular rotation of airplanes, going in and out. The foreign minister told us this afternoon, in fact, she thinks it's all

going to be done in about 24 hours' time.

But it's a big question, because France has a lot of interest, there has a lot of civilians there. They also have 1,500 troops there. By the way, the

Americans have got 1,200 troops.

The American State Department has said people should shelter in place. They have not announced any kind of evacuation plan for American citizens. So

it's kind of a confused situation at this point. And it's up to the individuals whether they want to try to get out on these flights or not --

Becky.

ANDERSON: More on, this as we move through this two hour, show thank you both.

Beijing working to dig out and dry out, from the massive damage left behind by one of the biggest storms to hit the city in more than a decade.

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ANDERSON (voice-over): Have a look at this, remnants of Typhoon Doksuri, dumped a month's worth of, rain in just 48 hours. This is what 175

millimeters of rain, will do to a city. Roads becoming waist-high rivers. That storm has killed at least 11 people.; 27 others are missing.

More than 127,000 people have been evacuated, from the city. CNN's Marc Stewart has more, on the cleanup that people there are facing.

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MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Violent floodwaters race across China after record-setting rain, destroying roads, flooding streets

and prompting rescues in the aftermath of Typhoon Doksuri.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I say, it's the first time in my life that I've seen such a scary flood. I haven't seen this before and

hence it's scary. I've lived so long and I've not seen this before.

STEWART (voice-over): Near the capital, Beijing, the force so fierce, the driver is trapped in their car amid the raging water. A rescue worker drops

a line and the driver is hoisted to safety.

In Beijing, a giant hole sits in front of a newly opened mall. One of the venues from the 2022 Winter Olympic Games is underwater. And a recently

built hotel is damaged, according to a state-run media outlet. In some cases, the water is so high it nearly tops the power lines.

River banks are hovering close to the street. And where the water has receded, a mess is left behind. The flooding is disrupting everyday life.

At a Beijing airport, water is flooding the tarmac. Flights are facing delays and, in some cases, trains are at a standstill.

Evacuations are underway in Beijing; tourist attractions remain closed. As emergency workers do what they can to help, family members are looking for

loved ones. A city brought to a standstill as another massive storm lingers in the horizon -- Marc Stewart, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: These are remarkable images. The typhoon that hit China, is not the only storm that we are tracking in that region.

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ANDERSON: There is some good news coming out of what has been this disastrous flooding. This amazing rescue, although it is a bit hard to

watch.

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ANDERSON (voice-over): In China, this elderly woman was trapped last week in floodwaters in southwest China.

She did manage to grab onto a metal fence and call for help. Luckily, a younger man was able to wade over to her and grab her. The woman was pulled

out of the water and, as we understand it, back to a safer area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Oil markets just wrapped up their strongest month in 1.5 years, with OPEC keeping a very tight leash on supplies.

We ask, will this trend continue?

I'll speak with an expert just ahead.

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ANDERSON (voice-over): We are tracking a surge in the oil markets. I'm talking prices here. On Monday, prices shot to a three-month high. The

monthly increase is, quite frankly, more dramatic.

In July, oil prices saw their sharpest rise since January of 2022. That was before the start of the war in Ukraine. And no relief from OPEC at this

point, which is staying the course, keeping supplies tight.

Saudi Arabia voluntarily put production cuts in place for July and August and that is expected to continue. Noah Brenner joins me now; he's the

executive editor in Eastern Hemisphere for the energy information company, Energy Intelligence.

Let's just start with the very basic question.

What is driving this price rise?

NOAH BRENNER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, ENERGY INTELLIGENCE: Sure, Becky, first it's great to be here.

In terms of what's driving this price, it's a tighter market. We are seeing demand pick up and, as you said, we are seeing OPEC, essentially, keep

supplies tight. At the same point, we've seen Russia actually make good on its pledge to take 500,000 barrels a day off of exports. We think they're

actually even a little bit above that.

And so we're finally starting to see markets react to what we thought might happen, say, earlier in the year.

ANDERSON: We're talking here, about a specifically, about a -- we talk about a squeeze on supplies, we're talking about a Saudi voluntary cut of 1

million barrels a day, to get price, as we understand, above $80. Because, as we all, as we understand, it see that as a kind of the break even on the

budget.

They've succeeded in that. We are looking at this $80 on the barrel plus- plus at this point. Goldman Sachs looking at 100 bucks on the barrel once again, which is interesting. We can talk about that.

Have the Saudis, at this point, succeeded in what they were very open about, their intention to be?

And what can we expect going forward?

BRENNER: We've certainly seen them take strong control of the oil market here. I mean, I think that, looking ahead, we've got a joint ministerial

meeting coming up here on Friday. Whether that cut gets continued, certainly the market believes that it will.

At the same point, they need to balance their own budget needs. Every million barrels a day that they're not selling has a financial impact

there. But you know, should additional volumes come into the market unexpectedly, that will have an impact on price. And so it's a balance

there.

ANDERSON: We see a price, which is above that which the oil price was trading at, before, the Ukraine war. Since then, we've seen a complete

disruption to the oil markets, including price caps on Russian oil.

Where do we stand on those and how are they impacting price?

BRENNER: Well, I mean, we think really had a pivot point on this price cap issue. I mean, we've seen Russian discounts contract. At the same point,

we've seen oil prices rise. And so now the prevailing price for euros (ph), which is the main Russian grade, looks like it's probably trending above

the price cap.

Now by our estimates, maybe 20 percent of Russian trade was traveling on Western vessels.

What happens to those volumes?

Is the U.S., is the U.K., are they really serious about enforcing this price cap?

If they are, where do those volumes go?

I mean, is the dark fleet, the shadow fleet that Russia's built up, is it enough to handle that?

And I think that's going to be a really interesting question here in the next month.

ANDERSON: Going forward, then, what are your forecasts?

Because it is unclear what global demand is doing as of yet. We see a forecast of a rise in demand from China, only to if you'll see the

following sort of contraction in those forecasts. These macroeconomic -- these -- the macro story doesn't look completely clear at this point.

BRENNER: Well, it is not clear when it comes to China's demand. So overall demand, we are little bit below some of the other estimates. We are a

little bit below the 102 million barrels a day.

When it comes to prices, we definitely see the potential for prices to rise above 90. But we don't see as much support, say, at 100, where Goldman

might have put it. And that's due to a number of factors.

Some of this is the potential for additional Saudi Arabian volumes to come back in. Some of this is just, simply, reinflation and the potential to

impact demand should we start to see prices rise that far.

[10:25:00]

BRENNER: But I think what we'll see probably, is a very close watch and trying to parse, what do these Chinese numbers mean?

How does -- how is oil demand aligning with that underlying data?

ANDERSON: Can I ask, you finally, just how impactful is the speculator in the oil markets at present?

Because the Saudi oil minister has made it very, very clear that it is the speculators that he -- it seems, that he is most concerned about and the

Saudi position and its production cuts very much playing to that narrative.

BRENNER: I mean, look, we do see markets say reconnecting, maybe, with fundamentals. That would be one way to put. Earlier in the year, we were

seeing a tighter market. And we're seeing prices that didn't respond to that. As much. And a lot of that was a worry about the macro economy.

Now with this price rise, we are seeing that driven more by fundamentals. But let's be honest, the macroeconomic worries can resurface really at any

time.

ANDERSON: Absolutely, good to have you, thank you very much indeed for joining us.

BRENNER: My pleasure.

ANDERSON: So the oil markets at present.

Still to come, Niger's political crisis is deepening as neighboring countries warn against military intervention to restore the ousted

president there.

Plus, a U.S. federal grand jury investigating alleged election interference and Donald Trump meeting today. We'll have a live report from Washington

coming up.

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ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in London. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. The time here is half past 3. Your headlines this hour.

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ANDERSON (voice-over): Russia is blaming Ukraine for a drone strike that hit a building in Moscow's financial district earlier. Russia says it

destroyed two other drones. This is the second strike on Moscow in just a few days.

Typhoon Doksuri has passed over China and it has dumped a month's worth of rain in just 48 hours. The storm has killed at least 11 people with 27

others reported missing and more than 127,000 people evacuated from Beijing.

[10:30:00]

ANDERSON (voice-over): E.U. countries are preparing to evacuate their citizens from Niger, as the country's political limbo deepens. France,

Italy, Spain making plans to fly out their nationals as well as those of other E.U. countries out of country, starting today.

ANDERSON: What's happening in Niger stretches beyond its borders, it has broader implications in the Sahel region. And that is important. CNN's

David McKenzie is connecting us to all of that from Johannesburg.

David, it's good to have you.

Outside of the possible chaos of these evacuations out of Niger, why is the country and the coup there so critical from a security standpoint?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, it's a critical question that is a very good point because Niger is a linchpin of

security attempts by the French and particularly the U.S. to clamp down on jihadist groups and extremist groups in that zone.

If you look at these pictures of a CNN trip to Agadez in Niger of a multimillion dollar drone base that is there in Agadez, run by the U.S.

military. There's also a drone base closer to the capital, Niamey.

These are critical launch pads for taking on Al Qaeda and ISIS linked groups throughout that volatile region and the western part of the Sahel

band across Africa. And that is now potentially at risk.

If you look at this map again, that you showed earlier, this hour, you see the recent coups or mostly recent coups over this area from -- stretching

all the way on the eastern part of the continent, through almost to the western part of the continent in some cases.

Of course, each one of these coups has their local reasons for it. But often, as is potentially the case here in Niger, it is military leaders

trying to stay close to power and continue the connections to monetary gains.

But it is a very challenging situation. And that region in particular, the western part of the Sahel, has seen an extremely large increase in jihadist

attacks against civilians. It's the most deadly zone that kind of fighting and those civilian attacks across the world.

ANDERSON: We know there are 100,000-200,000 American troops there on the ground and you specifically spoke to those, images we had of the drone base

there run, by the Americans. It would seem that the U.S. in particular faces a very tricky situation in Niger. The U.S. secretary of state, Antony

Blinken, has said they are monitoring the situation.

And that's diplomatic speak at this point.

One assumes they're doing more than that.

What are their options?

MCKENZIE: It's a very, very difficult situation because the State Department has yet to say this is officially a coup.

And there's a reason for, that I think, because if they announce that this is a coup, which it clearly is, but if they say it's now settled into the

military leadership from the presidential guard in particular, taking over from president Bazoum, then there are U.S. legal cascades that happen.

That means that the U.S. cannot, in the short term, at the very least, provide direct military or other assistance to the junta in Niger, should

they stay into power. And you have those millions of dollars, more than $100 million in the case of one base, spent.

As you say, more than 1,000 U.S. troops on the ground there. That is all called into question, if this is announced a coup. So there are feverish

behind the scenes discussions, I'm sure. At the moment, try to reestablish a democratic rule.

And the irony here is that President Bazoum was actually seen as someone who was doing much better than some of his neighbors in fighting extremist

groups.

You also have another issue at play here, Becky. You see these protests from several days ago, with the Russian flag being prominently displayed by

protesters. There's no indication at this stage that the sama (ph) was orchestrated by Russian interference or influence in Niger.

But this could provide an opening for Wagner, the mercenary group, or Russian foreign policy, which is operating in a lot of those countries

neighboring Niger. And that could also put the fight against extremists at risk.

ANDERSON: David McKenzie with important analysis. Thank you very much indeed for joining us, Niger.

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ANDERSON (voice-over): Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now.

Military rulers in Myanmar have pardoned detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi for five charges of which she was convicted.

[10:35:00]

ANDERSON (voice-over): She had previously faced a total of 33 years in jail. It is now unclear how many years she will serve for. Those other

charges, she denies all of those charges against her. She is saying they are very politically motivated.

At least 56 people are confirmed dead after Sunday's suicide bombing in Pakistan. A local official says 20 others remain in hospital. ISIS has

claimed responsibility for targeting what was a political convention in northwest Pakistan.

Next month, Israel's supreme court will hear challenges to a new law that curbs its oversight from the government. For the first time, all 15

justices are being convened under the law. The court can no longer declare government actions unreasonable. And this is part of a broader

controversial plan to overhaul the courts.

ANDERSON: We are tracking several developments in the investigations into former president Donald Trump this hour. A federal grand jury in special

counsel Jack Smith's election interference probe is meeting today.

This after Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos de Oliveira was released on bond, following his initial court appearance in the classified documents

case.

And in a different case, this one in Georgia, officials are expected to make a decision on whether to charge Trump by September the 1st. The Fulton

County defense attorney money is mulling racketeering and conspiracy charges for Donald Trump and his allies trying to overhaul the 2020

election.

These are busy times. For the latest, CNN's Katelyn Polantz is live in Washington.

Where to start?

Well, let's start here.

Can we expect an indictment to come down at this point?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: We could. That's where we are. We are outside the federal court in Washington, D.C.

Let's start with the investigation that is taking place here.

There has been a grand jury here, convened by the Justice Department, so the federal government, to look into the 2020 election, Donald Trump and

actions of those around him to try and hold off the presidency of Joe Biden, to overturn what the result of the 2020 election vote was.

And so there has been a grand jury investigating this for months and months. They've heard many, many witnesses.

Donald Trump received a target letter from the Justice Department, telling him just a few weeks ago he was very likely to be charged, outlining the

possible charges he may be facing here -- conspiracy, obstruction, deprivation of rights.

And so that investigation is in a moment with momentum and also a moment where they could be reaching some sort of conclusion for that set of

charges. We know that because the grand jury said today they could be asked to look at the indictment, to vote on it, to approve it.

We won't see anything publicly that results from that, until that process is done because grand jurors do, they are operating in secrecy. What is

happening in that room remains confidential. But if they are asked to vote on an indictment, they could approve it and we could hear something, as

soon as today for charges there.

This is all separate from the other investigations there around Trump as well. Just six days ago, he was facing additional charges in Florida,

federal charges related to his handling of documents after he left the presidency. That case continues on in that district.

And then of course, there is that looming question of what the grand jury will do at the state level in Georgia, the Fulton County grand jury that is

being used by defense attorney Fani Willis. She is now issuing a subpoenas there to have that grand jury continue to look at Trump and others for

possible charges coming this month -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Katelyn, thank you.

Despite Donald Trump's legal woes, half of the U.S. plans to vote for him. That is an article at cnn.com. The analysis is fascinating. You can get

that on your CNN app as well. Thank you.

The USA narrowly avoids a surprise early exit from the Women's World Cup. We will show you just how close they came to what would have been an epic

flop. That is up next.

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ANDERSON: UNESCO has recommended adding a popular tourist destination to its Heritage danger list. It says Venice, Italy, has suffered deterioration

and damage from mass tourism, from development projects and from climate change.

Meantime, the organization is recommending that Australia's Great Barrier Reef not be placed on a list of places considered, quote, "endangered," but

warns that the world famous reef remains under serious threat and urgent and sustained action, quote, "is needed to preserve it."

The U.S. Women's national football team, soccer team, narrowly survived an early exit from the World Cup a few hours ago. It's only by the grace of

the goalpost that the Americans' threepeat dreams are still alive.

And it's a devastating near miss for Portugal, who came that close to pulling off an upset in the 90th minute. Patrick Snell joining me now.

I mean, who would've expected the Americas to limp into the next round?

I have to say, some good stuff from the Portuguese.

What happens to the Americans?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, credit Portugal, tournament debutantes.

They were that close, weren't they?

They were so close to advancing. I just think the USA went into this tournament, everyone just assumed they were going to win it, perhaps not

the players themselves but certainly U.S. media hyping up the pressure on this team, which is still in the thick of it.

I will say, they are through to the round of 16. And they may well be playing Sweden next, as it now looks that likely. That will be an

interesting clash. They survived but there is huge pressure on them. They're trying to do what no other country has done before, Becky, that's

win the World Cup for a third straight time.

No male or female team has ever done that. Back to you.

ANDERSON: That's "WORLD SPORT." That's up after this short break with Patrick, I'm back top of the hour for you, stay with us.

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