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Connect the World
Spain's Regional Football Chiefs: Rubiales must Resign; Storm Begins Heavy Rains, Flooding to Cuba; Officials: ISIS-Linked Smuggler Helped Migrants Enter U.S.; Iniesta: Controversy Overshadowing WWC Victory; Ukraine Breaks through Russian Defenses in the South; Study Finds Early Signs of Disease in Young Athletes. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired August 29, 2023 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: This hour calls for the resignation of the Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales are
growing louder. We'll have a conversation with the Spanish Soccer Player Andres Iniesta coming up.
First though your other headlines this hour Florida's Gulf Coast bracing for a major storm as Hurricane Idalia is expected to hit the state at
dangerous category three strength. Now the storm earlier lashed Cuba forcing thousands to evacuate.
After a day of rumors were that Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's funeral has taken place privately in St. Petersburg. The Kremlin said earlier there
were no plans for Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend.
A wildfire in Greece is now said to be the European Union's largest blaze in at least 23 years. The total burn area in Northeastern Greece is now
larger than New York City. And we now have the results from the largest study ever to look at traumatic brain injury in young athletes. It shows
more than 60 cases of CTE in athletes who are under the age of 30 at the time of their death.
All those stories are coming up as we welcome you to our second hour of "Connect the World'. The regional heads of Spain's Football Federation are
calling it unacceptable behavior that is seriously damaged Spanish football's image.
Well, they are demanding the immediate resignation of Luis Rubiales over that kiss on the World Cup podium that has spiraled into a national
controversy about the treatment of female athletes. Rubiales himself refusing to step down as these debates simmers the Spanish women's national
team is boycotting future matches and some on the men's side are joining in.
Look, it's a bad look for the country, which is part of a joint bid for the 2030 Men's World Cup. So tonight we ask what is the future of Spanish
football. Well, Atika Shubert joining me now from Madrid this hour. Let's start with you with the very latest developments as you understand them.
ATIKA SHUBERT, JOURNALIST: Well, the Federation as you point out has already said that he should resign but they don't seem to be able to force
Rubiales out. So what's happening instead is a very long and painstaking process in which the government through its high commission for sport has
filed a complaint with the tribunal.
The tribunal asked for more information and that was supplied earlier today. So now we're waiting to see whether or not the tribunal decides that
there is enough evidence there to proceed with some sort of serious offence.
If it's deemed serious enough, then it is possible that Rubiales will be suspended. If it is not however, then we're at a stalemate. So there are a
lot of hoops to still jump through. And this seems to be one of the delaying tactics that will keep Rubiales in his position.
Even though for example a FIFA has suspended him so here remains ineffective as President of the Federation, but he still has the title. So
that's where we are at the moment. In the meantime, there has been no word from Rubiales since Friday, when he had that defiant speech in which he
refused to resign and the pressure on him just keeps building Becky.
ANDERSON: Thank you. Well, my next guest is Pedro Malabia Sanchis is the Chief Strategy Officer for the Spanish Women's Professional Football League
that's LIGA IAF the league tweeted and I quote here out of respect for the values of sport. Out of respect for women's football out of respect for the
women and to the men who fight alongside them out of respect for football enough now it's time to change this forever.
[11:05:00]
And Pedro joins me now via Skype from Madrid. It may be time as far as your organization is concerned, and to the minds of so many others. But at this
point, nothing has changed, sir. What do you want to see happen next?
PEDRO MALABIA SANCHIS, CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER FOR THE SPANISH WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: Hi Becky. Yes as we stayed at then and I
think yesterday was an important meeting from the chiefs, regional federations. And they released the statement in which they were saying that
they were undertaking immediate changes in some strategic positions.
So what we expect from Liga IAF, it's not only a problem of Luis Rubiales, himself it's a problem of the whole Federation, or of the whole system of
the whole model. So what we expect is that we pass from words to action.
ANDERSON: How damaging is this sir for Spanish Football for individual teams? There are reports that, you know, they could be kicked out of
Champions League, and I want to get your response to that. Whether you think that is a reality to the prospects for Spain, hosting the 2020 World
Cup? I mean, how might this snowball if the core of this issue is not addressed at this point or is that no risk?
SANCHIS No, there is. I would say it's unacceptable. It's unfair. And I could say many, many words. It's just now UEFA is a women's football
country, you know perfectly what it means to win a World Cup for us. It's one of the biggest successes in the story of not of women's sports, but of
sport of Spanish sport.
So we've been stolen this moment of celebrating together. And CNN should have called us just to realize what's behind the success, not to talk about
the behavior of the President, because he's not representing. He should be representing the values of Spanish football.
But indeed, he showed that he is not aligned with this. So of course, there has been a massive impact internationally. And it's a shame and it's
unfair, that people are thinking that Spanish football is like this. Spanish football is not like this.
ANDERSON: The Spanish players have said they won't play any more games, as long as Rabelais is in charge. And you support that position, do you?
SANCHIS: Yes, absolutely. I mean, I think the players were brave enough. They were all together, even the whole society was all together. But once
again, this demonstrates there is a systematic problem of the whole organization.
It's about, I won't analyze if the national coach is good or bad. I'm not expert in this field. But it's about I think it's the way to demonstrate
that things need to change. And now it's time and I like to say that we want to trophy on the pitch. But hopefully, it's worth that we've been
taking the celebration if we can achieve a second trophy that would be changing the governing bodies forever.
ANDERSON: Yes. I mean, this whole saga has overshadowed what was an amazing result. So we must not forget that that trophy was the culmination of so
much hard work and some terrific football. This saga though has also revealed a lot of very powerful men protecting their own.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, for example we've had a FIFA response. They came out and relatively quickly, but no response from the President
himself the UEFA Chief others from the sports' governing bodies. And I have to say, I was slightly surprised by the somewhat silent men's footballing
world. There have been signs of support, but it hasn't been overwhelming.
SANCHIS: I agree. Now it's time for the governing bodies and for the people in football men or women to demonstrate their commitment to women's
football and to football because it's not an issue and so we don't have to focus only on the case.
There have been unacceptable behaviors of the President with the hand in parts of the body that they shouldn't be. It's blaming the whole Spanish
society in the most heard radio program. It's like criticizing everyone. It's what the assembly that we saw.
It's unacceptable and football should be run by people that demonstrate that they are the kind of football they want. And it's time for the
governing bodies for the Spanish government to really take action. This should not be politicized. It's about taking action and those people need
to go out of football.
[11:10:00]
ANDERSON: Are you surprised? Or were you surprised by Rabelais' actions? We're talking about the actions of one man here, which is sort of lifted
the lid on what is a very sort of rotten core, it seems in the governance of Spanish Football, at least. I mean, I just wonder if you can step back
for us for a moment.
We're a week into this in a sort of stalemate at a point at which, you know, there is very real risk to, you know the reputation of the game in
Spain. If you're just too sort of step out of this for a moment, and just consider the sort of history of the game in Spain. How surprised are you
that it's come to this?
SANCHIS: Absolutely nothing. We've been suffering since 2018. Of course, not the case but this kind of behaviors of the President and the rest of
the people that surround him, threatening the clubs, the way he behaves, our precedent is our female President she has said, the way he behaves the
way he treats the club's the players.
This powerful -- this sense of being un-destructible you know, it's something but not us. No one was surprised by him. We know how he was. And
this was part of the big alarm that has been created because we remember some months ago, this problem with a Super Cup with some strange movement
of the President. It's something that was not new for us, but we've been fighting against them and fighting against the model. Thank god that now
the whole world could watch this kind of behavior.
ANDERSON: Pedro, it's good to have you on. Your analysis and insight is extremely important as we continue to report on the developments in this
story. Thank you. And I spoke earlier to Andres Iniesta, and you'll hear some of that discussion on the show a little later.
He described in a tweet earlier this week, this whole saga as damaging to the image of his country and as he described it, our football, hugely
decorated Spanish footballers play for the national team play for Barcelona for so many years 16 seasons with Barcelona in LA LIGA, it fascinating to
listen to his views on this.
As we continue to look at the disparities between men's and women's sports cnn.com/cnndigital has a fascinating time we look at how tennis has been on
the forefront of closing the gender pay gap and how that sport has gotten a lot of things right even though there is still a lot of work to be done as
we watch the beginning of the U.S. Open this year and keep tennis in mind.
Check that out on online on your computer or through the CNN App. Well, an extremely dangerous major hurricane that is what forecasters are saying
about Hurricane Idalia. This time lapse video shows the outer bounds of what was then a tropical storm lashing Havana in Cuba and the worst is yet
to come.
Idalia is getting stronger as it approaches the U.S. State of Florida. By the time it makes landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast on Wednesday it is
expected to be a powerful category three hurricane. Thousands are being told to evacuate while they still can. Let's get a look at where the storm
has been and where it's going next?
Patrick Oppmann is in a very wet Havana. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam on the beach in Clearwater in Florida the state -- the storm has passed Cuba now
Patrick. It skirted the island which avoided the worst of it but this is an island nation that knows well the damage that can be wrought just how well
authorities prepared for this.
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think people did the best they could here under the circumstances which our resources are very thin on a good
day. People do have a lot of history with hurricanes. They know to evacuate when they're told you thousands did that.
Right now we're told hundreds of thousands are without power that is typical for a storm. Power will slowly be restored them well. We got soaked
up throughout all morning here in Havana. It seems like the worst of it has passed.
Again, the storm just skirted as a category one the western tip of this island quite a distance from where I am now. But as there was obviously
pounding rains in Havana throughout the morning, there was a good bit of flooding the cell service at least where we are down right now which is why
we've had to change locations.
[11:15:00]
So certainly we got off a much lighter than Florida will because this storm is moving into the Straits of Florida and extremely warm Straits of
Florida. I don't remember a time when the ocean water here has ever felt this warm, and that is fuel for a hurricane.
And that is going to allow it to continue to pick up steam continue to pick up power so well for well, Cuba got off lucky this time around Florida,
perhaps not so much. And of course, we're just in the beginning of the height of hurricane season, and certainly for the Caribbean Island nation
like Cuba, people are watching out for the next one.
ANDERSON: Yes, it was conceived, dried out. We've been running some images of what happened and the rest of the island. Sir good to have you, sir
thank you very much indeed! Let's get you then to Derek Van Dam, who was in Clearwater in Florida.
And as Patrick pointed out there, this hurricane moving through some of the warmest water in the Gulf of Mexico, just explain how that impacts the
storms strength Derek and how Florida is preparing?
DEREK VAN DAM, METEOROLOGIST: Becky, we've been on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico all morning, and we felt the water, it's lapping up on our feet
quite literally seems like a very ideal situation. But that water is sitting about two degrees Celsius above where it should be this time of
year.
It's beyond bathtub temperature. We're talking hot tub temperature, right? And this water is primed for a major hurricane to develop. And we have one
that is forming and strengthening right now. Let's get to the details and bring up my graphics because some of the latest information just came to us
from the National Hurricane Center, the 11 am Eastern Time update, that's 140 kilometer per hour storm.
There it is Hurricane Idalia. It is moving into the Straits of Florida off the Coast of Cuba and into those warm ocean waters. And that of course is
what we're concerned about. The strengthening is explicitly shown within the forecast.
The radar there showing the outer rain bands lashing Key West, Havana and some of the rainfall totals there have exceeded hundred millimeters
already. There's a look at the watches and the warnings mainly hurricane warnings for the Big Bend of Florida that's like a catcher's mitt for all
the water that's going to push up into that region.
And the official forecast track has this just shy of a category four, Atlantic hurricane equivalent, that's 205 kilometers per hour by Wednesday
morning. Let's talk about the threats here. Not only do we have destructive winds that will topple trees take down power and power lines.
But it is this shallow nature of the Gulf of Mexico that I'm concerned about. We continue to talk about the storm surge potential here, which by
the way where I'm standing, could run anywhere from 1.5 to 2 meters of normally dry ground.
But if I was to walk out into the shallow water, let's say 50 meters from here, I would get water only up to my knees, maybe my waist at most. That
shows you just how shallow the bathtub here is literally behind, right?
And that has implications on the shoreline. So what we've done is with the wonderful resources that CNN has, we've done a drone flying to give you
that aerial perspective. And you can see four kilometers that way towards Clearwater Beach, just how long this beach actually stretches and how flat
it actually is?
So the problem being is that water gets pushed up from Hurricane Idalia, that continues to strengthen that water will have to move somewhere, right?
And it's going to come up and over these barrier islands.
It could bring again upwards of two meters of storm surge where I'm located but in that catcher's mitt, that Big Bend area, Cedar Key, you can see it
on the map. That is the area that is some of the most vulnerable coastline in America to storm surge.
We're talking for the potential of over three meters of storm surge, and that is going to possibly inundates some of those coastal locations not a
location that you want to be at. And you know what; we've seen this play out time and time again. We warn people you can hide from the wind.
You got a run from the storm surge, right? And that is just such poignant words I think one of the officials was telling our channel that earlier
today. There's the earliest arrival time, just offshore. You could see some of the outer rain bands from Hurricane Idalia that are about to reach our shoreline here in Clearwater Beach, Florida. I give it
another 45 minutes before we have tropical storm force winds and rain for our live shot, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, it's amazing. We spoke an hour ago and you can see how it is kicking up already and you can certainly see the darkness on the horizon.
Look, thank you. The use of the drone really useful in getting a perspective on exactly where you are and why that storm surge is
potentially so impactful. Thank you.
Well, still to come, the company owned by Wagner Boss Yevgeny Prigozhin says he has been laid to rest. What we know about the funeral is straight
ahead.
[11:20:00]
And officials say the FBI is investigating after a smuggler with ISIS ties help migrants enter the United States. What we are learning about that case
is coming up.
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ANDERSON: The U.S. Commerce Secretary is in China to shore up the relationship between the two economic powerhouses. She met with China's
Vice President in the Great Hall of the People and says her country and China have reached an agreement on export controls that will reduce
misunderstandings about U.S. national policies. National security policies there, comes on the second day of Gina Raimondo's visit to Beijing. CNN's
Kristie Lu Stout has more.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On her second full day of talks with senior Chinese officials in Beijing, the U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina
Raimondo met with China's Premier Li Qiang as she seeks to boost ties between the world's two biggest economies. I was speaking in Beijing's
Great Hall of the People the Chinese Premier said this, "Economic and trade relations are the ballasts for Sino-U.S. relations. A well maintained
economic and trade relationship is beneficial to both countries and the whole world".
Raimondo agreed with Li. And Raimondo say that the U.S. wants to work with China on global concerns like climate, AI and the Fentanyl crisis. Earlier
she met with China's Vice Premier Li Fang sharing the message that the U.S. does not want to decouple from China, but will never compromise on
protecting its national security.
Raimondo also met with China's tourism minister, they agreed on steps to further revive and develop tourism between the two countries. On Monday,
the U.S. and China also agreed to hold regular talks on a range of trade issues including export controls. This visit comes at a time of deep
concern about the Chinese economy.
China is facing a laundry list of challenges including slumping exports, deflation, and a deepening property crisis. And Raimondo is the latest
senior U.S. official to visit China as the U.S. seeks to stabilize the relationship. Tensions have flared over Taiwan.
Fentanyl precursor chemicals and territorial disputes in the South China Sea as well as economic issues including access to technology like
semiconductors, targeted sanctions, and even raids on U.S. consultancy firms in China. But given China's economic troubles the pressure is on to
boost commercial activity and destabilize a relationship worth more than $700 billion in annual trade. Kristie Lu Stout CNN, Hong Kong.
ANDERSON: Well, to a CNN exclusive now the U.S. government scrambling to track asylum seekers who entered the U.S. with the help of an alleged ISIS
linked smuggler. Officials say no specific ISIS plot has been detected. But the FBI is investigating more than a dozen Uzbek Nationals who entered the
U.S. from Mexico.
[11:25:00]
Turkish authorities also involved after they're arrested the alleged smuggler. Let's get you more on this. CNN's Katie Bo Lillis is in
Washington. What are U.S. officials know about these migrants and how this happened? What do we do at this point?
KATIE BO LILLIS, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Becky, this was what happened was this was essentially a case of bad timing. This group, these groups of Uzbek
Nationals was traveling to the United States presenting them for asylum. They were vetted according to standard U.S. procedures. And then they were
released into the United States pending a court date as is standard in this kind of situation.
It wasn't until later though, that the U.S. intelligence community received information that allowed them to understand that these people were
traveling to the United States with the help of a smuggling network that included a member with some pretty troubling ties to ISIS.
Now, this obviously set off some big alarm bells across the U.S. government. The FBI immediately scrambled to try to locate, investigate and
assess all of the different individuals who had traveled to the United States with the help of this network. The intelligence community also
circulated an urgent report to all of Biden's top cabinet officials, so big reaction inside the U.S. government to this realization, Becky.
ANDERSON: No specific ISIS plot, though, has been detected. Let's be quite clear about this.
LILLIS: Yes, exactly. So Becky, so one of the first things that U.S. officials did was also moved to try to break up this to try to break up
this smuggling ring. And part of that was requesting that the Turkish authorities arrest the ISIS linked smuggler as well as other members of
this sort of human smuggling network.
And because of that U.S. officials were pretty quickly able to determine that this person wasn't actually a member of ISIS. He was a more like an
independent contractor who had some personal sympathies with the group. So because of that sort of understanding, the Biden Administration pretty
quickly came to view this as more of a run of the mill human smuggling operation as opposed to a potential terrorist plot.
And we do know from U.S. officials that at this point, the FBI and other intelligence agencies believe that there is that none of the people who
have entered the United States are part of any kind of active ISIS plot, ISIS planning, anything like that. So for many officials, this is really
kind of the system working the way it is meant to right.
The intelligence community received additional information about a group of migrants inside the United States. They investigated; they determined that
they likely did not pose a threat. But for other national security for other intelligence and law enforcement officials that we spoke to in the
course of reporting this story, the episode is much more alarming.
These people say that what the episode really shows is that the United States is deeply vulnerable to the possibility that terror groups could
seek to try to sneak across the U.S. southern border by essentially hiding themselves in the surge of migrants seeking asylum in the United States,
Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to get your reporting on. Thank you very much indeed. You're watching "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson, back after this.
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[11:30:00]
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson. Half past seven in Abu Dhabi. You're watching this show from our
Middle East broadcasting hub, your headlines itself. Hurricane Idalia is getting stronger in the Gulf of Mexico as it inches towards the United
States.
Is category one hurricane right now, but it's forecast at the west coast of Florida on Wednesday as a major category three storm and thousands are
being told to evacuate. Meantime Cuba cleaning up from Idalia, it skirted the island earlier as a tropical storm.
Regional football chiefs in Spain are demanding the resignation of the Federation Chief Luis Rubiales for kissing player Jenni Hermoso after the
Women's World Cup final in Australia. He is refusing to step down. Earlier today the Spanish government said it delivered documents to the country's
sports court in its effort to suspend Rubiales.
Well, Spain's women's team is vowing to boycott future matches while Rubiales remains the Federation's President. They are getting support from
male footballers. Some of them among are the most notable legendary midfielder Andres Iniesta.
He tweeted and I quote, "We have had to put up with the president who has held on to his position, who has not admitted that his behavior has been
unacceptable and that it is damaging the image of our country and our football around the world". Well, here's what Iniesta told me when we
talked a little earlier today.
ANDRES INIESTA, SPANISH MIDFIELDER: It's a difficult situation for everybody in general terms, especially me, because something so important
that has happened in this country, that we have won a World Cup with all that it means for the female football players. And for the fans that we
have to discuss these issues, something unheard of, of course, it's not a pleasant situation.
Many people have spoken out and don't like the situation. And I hope that the situation is sorted out, and that we don't have to discuss it anymore.
The important thing is that Spain was again, a World Cup winner in football; it's not a happy issue to discuss about.
ANDERSON: And you're absolutely right. The World Cup win was tremendous. It has, though, unfortunately been overshadowed by this incident, this saga. I
ask you again, just how important is it? It's clearly important to you that this is cleared up, how can it be rectified? Do you believe Luis Rubiales
needs to resign and that there needs to be an overhaul of management in Spanish football at this point?
INIESTA: I think when these kinds of situations arise, which are not normal, and we have arguments, and there are many different bodies that can
evaluate the situation. And this is the situation in which the Spanish Federation is in now. They will draw their own conclusions. And the other
opinions are just opinions.
And some may think they are right. Some may think they are wrong. But actually, the Spanish Federation has to discuss it. There is not much to be
added. But I do think it is a pity. The situation as you mentioned, has overshadowed the fact that Spain has won.
ANDERSON: You've been outspoken about this, and you have described this whole saga as damaging to the image of your country and Spain's football
use. You played your football in Spain so successfully for so many years. That must be devastating for you. Just how damaging do you believe this
could be to Spanish football to its reputation going forward?
[11:35:00]
INIESTA: These are not pleasant situations for anybody. We don't like that this has happened to Spain, it has damaged our country. In this sense, I
have mentioned before, these situations are assessed by the people responsible. But the Spanish sport and the Spanish football, it is above
any situation that a person can cause because it's a situation that could have been controlled. And now it must be assessed.
ANDERSON: How concerned are you that Spanish teams could be kicked out of European competitions, including the Champions League and damage be done to
Spain's chances of hosting the World Cup in 2030?
INIESTA: I don't think so. Spain is not that kind of country where this behavior is characterized as normal. There are other issues that have
happened in other countries. These are situations that have not happened on a regular basis.
ANDERSON: Well, that's Andres Iniesta speaking to me just a little earlier today. And we have a lot more from that interview tomorrow, we discuss his
impressive career. And what is an exciting new chapter that he is enjoying here in the UAE at the Emirates club in Ras Al Khaimah; join us same place,
same time tomorrow.
Well, in just three weeks the UN says it'll do something equals historic. The UN General Assembly will host its first ever high level summit
addressing the large movement of refugees and migrants. Now the idea is to come up with a blueprint for a better international response.
UN migration officials say more than 2000 people have lost their lives in the Mediterranean this year alone in desperate attempts to get to Europe.
On top of that the European Council President has been discussing the fairer, a fairer Europe, Charles Michel gave a big speech in Slovenia on
Monday highlighting EU security and the Western Balkan nations.
Well, I want to be totally transparent with you. You may disagree with the opinions and theories of my next guest. But they are definitely worth
exploring. Hans Kundnani is the Author of the new book, Eurowhiteness. He's been described as a European insider, but not a European booster.
And we think the best jumping off point for this conversation is the idea he has written about which he calls Imperial amnesia. Hans Kundnani joins
us now live from London. Sir, thank you. I want to get into the conceit of the book in its entirety. And as I say, many people may not agree with your
position on Europe.
And we'll discuss why you take the position that you do. Imperial amnesia, first and foremost, why do you think that Europe is choosing to forget or
ignore its imperial past rather than learn from it?
HANS KUNDNANI, EUROPE EXPERT, CHATHAM HOUSE: Well, I guess the simple answer is that it's a difficult past. It's a painful past. And it shows
Europeans in less than a positive light. And so that's a difficult thing for any country or region to think about. But I think there is also
something structural about the European Union itself that leads to this kind of Imperial amnesia.
And that's the way that European Union, European integration encourages EU member states to think about their history through the prism of their
relationships with each other. So in particular, you know, the centuries of conflict between European countries, especially France, and Germany,
culminating in World War Two and the Holocaust.
And the whole project is meant to be based on the lessons of that internal history, if you like; you know, in other words, the relationship between
different European countries. But what's never been part of the story that pro Europeans tell about the EU, is what you might call the external
lessons of European history.
In other words, what Europeans have done to the rest of the world and in particularly European colonialism, that's never become a central memory in
the European Union in the way that say, for example, the Holocaust has been.
ANDERSON: Right. You've written that the European project, and I quote you here "It was defined not only in opposition to Europe's past, but also in
opposition to non-European others with a capital". Just explain how you came to this conclusion?
KUNDNANI: Well, I think it's, I think it's fairly clear, actually, you know, we know from the study of nationalism, that national identities are
always formed in opposition to another. If you think about, say, the history of, you know, British nationalism or German nationalism, you know,
they were often defined in opposition to other European countries like France.
And I think the idea of European identity formation is roughly similar to that, except that it's on a continental scale rather than a national scale.
And so, just as European national identities within Europe were, were developed and defined in opposition to others in that case, as I say,
mainly within Europe. So European identity going all the way back to you know, the medieval period when ideas of Europe and European is first
started to emerge.
[11:40:00]
Has always been defined in relation to non-European others and who exactly those others have been has varied over time. You know, in the medieval
period, it was above or Islam. You know, during the modern period, it was, you know, I think, basically non-white people around the world, and in the
20th century was often defined in opposition to the United States.
ANDERSON: OK. Let's have a look at the number of migrants because I think this is really important to point out, I mean, we know that there is a sort
of anti-immigration, you know, sort of wave at present across Europe, and indeed, the UK.
But let's take a look at the number of migrants that Europe took in at the height of the crisis in 2015, for example, a record 1.3 million in 2015,
according to Pew Research. Is that not a significant number because I see where you're going with this? And I can understand, you know, the conceit
of your argument and how you're sort of non-European others, sort of story manifests itself, but I think those numbers are important to, to throw into
the mix here.
KUNDNANI: No, absolutely they are significant numbers. I mean, they're small compared to the number of refugees that other countries, for example,
in the Middle East took as a consequence of the conflict in Syria, for example. But they are significant numbers.
I think, though, you know, what's more significant is the reaction that there's been to that over the last decade, you know, the year you're
talking about was 2015. And even in Germany, you know, which I think was probably one of the more generous countries in Europe at that time. You
know, there's been this shift since then.
And I think what you will now see, you mentioned at the beginning of this segment that 2000 people have died in the Mediterranean this year, since
2014 is 28,000. It's an extraordinary figure.
ANDERSON: Yes, you're absolutely right to point that out.
KUNDNANI: And that's the result of the policy, the policy choices that not just member states, but the EU itself has taken during the last decade, as
a response to 2015. So it's very much this idea that, you know, you hear this in the German debate all the time, 2015 can't be repeated. This is
sort of now something that's in the past, I think.
ANDERSON: You are an expert on Europe. You do come across as pessimistic in this book, about the European project. I wonder how your views have evolved
over the years. And how you believe, for example, the Ukraine conflict, the migration story, perhaps, as well identify, but the Ukraine story as
another may be impacting the project going forward?
KUNDNANI: Well, and the two stories fit together, right, because, you know, obviously, there's been extraordinary generosity towards refugees from
Ukraine. But even as that's happened, you know, push backs of non-white non-Christian refugees in the Mediterranean and elsewhere have continued.
So this is real double standard there, which I think has kind of revealed the way that you know, the, the position which Orban had in 2015, which is
we're perfectly happy to have Christian and white migrants. But a not non- Christian or non-white immigrant has, in effect become EU policy at this point.
I think more broadly, what the war in Ukraine has done has really galvanized this sense that Europe needs to be geopolitical. You know, this
is the word you hear all the time, although it's not entirely clear what that means. And, and so, I think there has been a, it's increased the sense
that Europe is sort of on the defensive, and that's, I think, a trend that has been developing since the euro crisis in 2010.
And then, on top of that, the threats to Europe are, I think, increasingly perceived in sort of civilizational terms. And that's, I think, the
direction in which the EU seems to be going.
ANDERSON: It's good read, and it's good to have you on as I say, not everybody will agree with your positioning, but it's really important that
we get you on and have a discussion about it. Thank you very much indeed, for your time.
Coming up on "Connect the World", the company owned by Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin says his relatives wished for a private funeral and they got it.
But we know about that funeral and the burial up next.
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[11:45:00]
ANDERSON: Ukraine says its troops have broken the first lines of Russian defenses in the Zaporizhzhia region. According to military officials the
counter offensive is going according to plan and every day they are pushing closer to a strategic transport hub under Russian control.
That is as more than 1000 civilians including over 340 kids have been evacuated from the eastern city of Kupiansk and its surrounding areas.
Ukrainian military officials say Kupiansk has endured constant shelling from Russian forces. Meanwhile, Russian pro military blogs are accusing
Moscow of neglecting the forces on the front lines.
Russian troops in -- say they are desperate for ammunition, food and artillery support. Well a funeral was heard held earlier today. For the
Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, Concord management which was owned by Prigozhin says that the funeral took place "In a closed format".
The stepped up police presence had been seen at this cemetery in St. Petersburg around at the time of his burial. Concord says those wishing to
pay their final respects can visit the ceremony, the cemetery. We're also seeing rare footage out of Russia of American detainee Paul Whelan; you can
see him here wearing a Russian prison uniform.
The White House says Whelan is being wrongfully detained held on bogus espionage charges since 2018. Now this video shot by Russian state media
back in May is a chance for Whelan's family to see him on video for the first time in three years.
Well, a wildfire has been burning in northeastern Greece is now said to be the European Union's largest blaze in 23 years. EU officials say the fire
has scorched more than 800 square kilometers. That's an area bigger than New York City. It's killed 19 people and it's among hundreds of wildfires
that are broken out in Greece this summer fueled by searing heat.
Well, two men in Uganda could wind up facing the death penalty after being charged with aggravated homosexuality. That is a capital offence under
Uganda's new and controversial Anti-homosexuality Act. One of the defendant's lawyers works with the Human Rights awareness and promotion
forum. He tells CNN that the penalties associated with the law are entirely out of proportion.
Well, a new study sheds light on the traumatic brain injuries that athletes are suffering from, but it's the type of athletes that's causing concern.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us next to walk us through these findings.
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[11:50:00]
ANDERSON: Right, researchers have now found that CTE, a brain disease often associated with NFL players and concussions in younger amateur athletes.
That's according to a striking new study from Boston University. The researchers evaluated 152 donated brains and found evidence of the disease
in more than 60 of them, including in athletes who never played professionally.
CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been covering this issue for years and has even visited the very brain bank where this work is
happening. I know that you've visited this lab, Sanjay, what do you make of the findings? How, how concerning is this?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, one thing I think to point out right away, Becky, is that all the people who donated their
brains for this study, you know, this is only something that can be diagnosed at autopsy, everyone who donated their brains, they had
significant cause for concern when they were still alive. So this is a pretty specific population of people.
I don't want people to think that look, you know, 40 percent of people who play even amateur sports are going to develop this. That's not what this
study is saying. But it is saying that CTE known as Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, this, Alzheimer's, like sort of syndrome can start to occur
at a pretty young age.
That's what the study really showed 17 to 29 years old. And they can have many of the symptoms that we see in patients much older. They could have
confusion, memory loss, depression, and even suicidal behavior. In fact, most of the people Becky, who died and whose brains were subsequently
donated, died by suicide.
The rains were then examined, and they were found to have this CTE, so it can start young. And it's not just professional athletes. That's I think
the takeaway here.
ANDERSON: You said the youngest person who had been diagnosed was with CTE who was just 17, that does seem very young, Sanjay.
DR. GUPTA: Yes. You know, and I'll tell you something, Becky, we were working on a documentary about this years ago, I was actually in the lab,
when Nathan Stiles, that's the 17-year-olds name. When his brain arrived, his parents wanted his brain to be examined by this lab, to see if he had
any evidence of CTE.
And I happen to be that that's Nathan, you're looking at there on the screen. But I looked at his brain along with Ann McKee so sad story. But
what they saw in his brain, when they really zoomed into some of the specific areas of the brain, were findings that you would normally see in
someone who might be in their 70s or 80s, someone with Alzheimer's disease, for example.
So it was the first indication that some of these changes can take place very early in life. Now, I will point out that Nathan did not have any
symptoms of CTE at that point. So the signs in the brain may greatly predate when someone actually starts to develop any symptoms. And I think
that that's it's an opportunity for these researchers to really focus on. If they can prevent those changes in the brain from turning into symptoms,
that could be a big, big benefit.
ANDERSON: Do we know why some people develop CT and others, others don't, Sanjay?
DR. GUPTA: You know, decades of research now, Becky, I think that is the question because sometimes it can seem pretty random. I mean, people who
did not have really a history of concussions, developed CTE, people who had many blows to the head did not develop the CTE. So it's probably some
genetic predisposition that has not yet been identified environmental factors.
One thing to keep in mind is people always say, look, how many concussions did you have likelihood of CTE? We know now that just blows to the head
even if they didn't cause concussion, what are called sub concussive hits can be associated with CTE. And again, that's another opportunity. Let's
lower the number of blows to the head and practices and drills and things like that, that might decrease the overall likelihood of CTE in the future.
ANDERSON: News you can use, Sanjay, it's always good to have you, thank you very much indeed. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is in the house folks.
[11:55:00]
Well, an Australian woman had mysterious symptoms for months when an MRI revealed something unusual. She was sent for brain surgery and doctors were
shocked by what they found. They pulled out a worm. It was eight centimeters long and it was still alive, and it was wriggling.
Experts say this particular type of worm is found in pythons, she may have picked it up from eating greens that the snakes had contaminated. That's it
from us. CNN continues after this short break.
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