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Official: Reopening of Erez Crossing for Aid Delayed; Parts of North America Gear up for Celestial Spectacle; Vatican Releases Document on Human Dignity; Total Solar Eclipse in Mexico, U.S. & Canada Today; South Carolina Beats Iowa 87-75 Win Third Women's Title. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired April 08, 2024 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, it's the final countdown the total solar eclipse will begin on its path across North America in just

hours. If you are in region will the skies stay clear for you to see it, but we will have the forecast and all the excitement.

It's 8 am in Kerrville in Texas, on that path of totality and its 5 pm here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. This is "Connect the World" wherever you

are watching. You are more than welcome happening this hour. CIA Director Bill Burns has left Cairo following the latest round of ceasefire and

hostage talks between Israel and Hamas.

Just hours ago the Vatican reaffirmed its opposition to sex change surgery, and three teams are locked in a tight race for the English Premier League

title. The stock markets will open in New York in about 30 minutes from now looking at the futures they are indicating a mixed a higher open on the

bell as traders look ahead to Wednesday for the March inflation figures all looking slightly positive this morning.

We start on a grim milestone as the war in Gaza officially takes part past the six month mark. The Gaza Ministry of Health says more than 33,000

people have been killed and just under 76,000 people wounded. Its six months that Israeli hostages have been held captive in Gaza, kidnapped then

kept from their families in unimaginable conditions.

Well now Egyptian state media reports a senior Egyptian source says there's been quote significant progress in those hostage ceasefire talks Hamas says

it wants an agreement that would see a quote complete cessation of aggression but the IDF says it is not finished in Gaza.

Israel's Defense Minister says troops are leaving Khan Yunis to prepare for quote follow up missions. CNN's Nic Robertson is live from Jerusalem. Nic,

exactly what we know about the IDF's latest moves, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, the signaling that this is a mark step change in ground operations in Gaza. In fact, they

say it's ending ground operations in Gaza in the current form, although there is a significant military force the 162nd division remains in the

north of Gaza, the net serene corridor, there is a military presence of brigade on that which separates the north and the south from Gaza.

But this withdrawal, the IDF is indicating can go one of two ways. Essentially, either the talks in Cairo come to some sort of agreement with

Hamas. And if they don't then Rafah which is that border town are right along the edge of Gaza southern border with Egypt that is home at the

moment to more than where approximately one and a half million Palestinians have escaped the fighting and other parts of Gaza.

That could become the next focus of the IDF activities to go after Hamas. They say there another five brigades of Hamas hiding out there but at the

moment, we've seen the tanks pulled out parked up in a field repairs going on to some of the tanks and armored vehicles. That's what the IDF says is

happening those preparations for future operations.

What happens around the negotiating table as a result of this, I think is where the attention is focused. But for those people going back to their

homes in Khan Yunis today discovering massive amounts of destruction, people telling us CNN that they know they're going back to destroyed homes,

but this they will stay there.

They're resilient. They're not going to leave. This is a victory for no one at the moment. The death and destruction has happened over the last four

months. So the IDF presence in Khan Yunis has been huge and significant. But the pullout is potentially significant for the talks.

ANDERSON: What is happening as far as the humanitarian aid is concerned a promise from the Israelis that the Erez crossing, for example, would be

open that would give very easy access into the north, which is suffering so badly from this lack of humanitarian aid. What do we know at this point,

Nic?

[09:05:00]

ROBERTSON: Yeah, 200,000 people estimated 400,000, maybe in the north and the aid hasn't been getting through to them from the south because of the

conditions and terms applied by the IDF on the ground. That's certainly what we hear from the U.N. So we went down to the Erez crossing over the

weekend, a couple of days, you can still hear the sound of gunfire, explosions not far away from the crossing.

There was an expectation because the government has said that they would open it Sunday the Erez crossing. We learned late Sunday from the

coordinating body COGAT coordinate aid going into Gaza, that there were technical difficulties to be overcome. The Erez crossing and it wouldn't be

opening yet.

Although COGAT says they had the highest transfer of aid trucks into Gaza in the past six months. They said 322 trucks 70 percent food they said 228

trucks of food. Gazan officials say that they can't match that number.

ANDERSON: Very briefly on these talks in Cairo this weekend, of course. What do we know? Certainly the Egyptians have said there has been

significant progress. Do we understand what they mean by that at this point?

ROBERTSON: Very are saying that they could come back to continue the talks in a couple of days. Very simply to read this neither side has walked away.

Neither partner just walked away and said what we've heard previously, which is the other side is digging in. There's no room to go forward here.

There is silence. And in that silence given the IDF came out of Khan Yunis, which changes the dynamic of talks a little potentially, there is the

potential to be optimistic but ground reality. So many times we've been to this point and the differences hadn't been closed.

ANDERSON: Nic Robertson is on the ground reporting for you from Jerusalem. Nic, thank you as the war in Gaza then continues. Nicaragua is taking

Germany to court over supplying arms to Israel. Nicaraguan Representatives opened arguments at the International Court of Justice in the past few

hours.

They are arguing that Berlin is breaking the Genocide Convention by providing Israel with military and financial support. We'll hear from the

Germans in a response on Tuesday. Now this comes after the U.N.'s Human Rights Council adopted a resolution calling for a halt to international

arms trading with Israel.

Well, the Israeli military says it's ready to deal with Iran quote, offensively and defensively after Tehran blamed Israel for a strike on its

embassy compound in Syria last week that killed seven officials. And the IDF Chief of Staff says Israeli troops are in his words prepared and

operating in the north, the south, the West Bank and beyond.

In the U.S., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says Washington is prepared to respond swiftly if necessary, against any attacks by Iran or

its proxies. This comes with the Pentagon on high alert for what it says could be a significant attack by Iran. Well, Israel says it killed a

Hezbollah commander in a strike on Southern Lebanon.

This is of course the Northern Front. The Israeli military says he was responsible for planning attacks on Northern Israel. The military says two

other Hezbollah members were killed and Lebanese media reports nearby homes were heavily damaged. Thousands near the border have left their homes since

cross border fighting increased with the start of the Israel-Hamas war. My colleague, CNN's Ben Wedeman talked with some of those who have been left

displaced.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These boxes of food or the difference between survival and desperation provided

by Virginia based non-profit Islamic Relief U.S.A. They're a lifeline to the around 90,000 Lebanese civilians who fled their homes along the border

with Israel.

-- takes a box, he normally grows tobacco. He's grateful for the help, dubious about the source -- think of this as Islamic, not American, he

says. If it were American, I wouldn't take it. Since last October, Israel and Hezbollah have engaged in daily and often deadly exchanges of cross

border fire.

As a result, most of the communities on both sides of the frontier have become ghost towns -- 100 juggles tasks in the operations room overseeing

relief efforts for the Southern Tyre Governorate.

[09:10:00]

He worries after six months calls for more help or increasingly ignored. At the beginning -- crises it was better he tells me. Now their response is

much, much slower -- sister rent a small room in Tyre's ancient quarter. It's been months since they've been home. Honestly, lost a lot -- says.

We've lost everything in our area. Their olive groves or abandon the land, left untended. But what -- is lucky at least she lives in a pleasant area.

Tens of thousands of others are camped out in schools across the south. 10 years old -- spends her day scampering around the corridors with her

friends.

She told me she had to leave her home five months ago because of the war. The bombings scared her, she says. In another school, Mustafa Syed despairs

over the loss of his livelihood. I had three horses, a cow, four sheep, and 120 chickens -- They're all dead. And thus, they're left in limbo, waiting

for the day when the guns go silent when they can go back to their homes, or what's left of them. Ben Wedeman CNN, Tyre, South Lebanon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, there is still real concern about a regional spillover of this Israel-Hamas war not least on that Northern Front. I also want to

bring in CNN's Alex Marquardt now on the U.S. response to Iranian threats. Alex, what do we know at this point? And just how concerned are

intelligence officials at this point?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, no doubt, Becky, that that concern has spiked in the past week since that Israeli

strike in Damascus that killed the seven IRGC commanders. I think for the past six months, it's fair to say that there has been real concern about

the conflict in Gaza spreading across the region.

But at the same time, we have been told repeatedly by U.S. administration and intelligence officials, that Iran was not looking for a direct

conflict, that they weren't looking to get involved directly. They were more than happy for their proxies that Hezbollah, the Houthis groups in

Iraq and Syria to target U.S. and Israeli sites in interest.

But that they themselves didn't want to get involved. Now, that may be changing. And the fear is that Iran may cross that line. And what we're

hearing from U.S. officials is that Iranian retaliation for that Israeli strike in Damascus may be imminent and inevitable that something could

happen in the coming days that Israeli and or American targets could be struck by Iran or by its proxies.

Now, the U.S. is making clear that it was not involved in that Israeli strike, saying that it was Israel that the U.S. had no advanced knowledge

and no participation in that attack in Damascus, the U.S. also warning Iran, that it should not use that as a pretext to go after U.S. targets or

to expand the conflict.

No doubt, Becky, that a direct strike by Iran, or a greater strike by its proxies against Israeli targets or U.S. targets could significantly expand

this conflict, Becky.

ANDERSON: Let's just be quite clear here. What sort of sites or interests are Washington or is Washington most concerned about at this point?

MARQUARDT: Well, obviously, there are countless American targets, potential targets all around the region. We've already seen months of targeting by

Iraqi and Syrian groups that are backed by Iran against coalition bases, for example, in Iraq and Syria. Now, there were more than 150, I think,

close to 200 of those strikes that came to an abrupt end about two months ago after the U.S. retaliated.

And so those strikes could start back up again. Embassies are an obvious one, both Israeli and U.S. embassies all across the region. You have

American ships, for example, naval vessels in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as in the Red Sea. So there are all kinds of things. Becky, I should

also note there is significant U.S. concern that Israel is preparing an incursion into Lebanon that has been a major worry for quite some time.

Now you hear the IDF saying that they're moving from defense to attack so really raising the possibility that you could see more of a war than we're

already seeing right now on that border between Israel and Lebanon, Becky.

ANDERSON: Absolutely. Always good to have you Alex, thank you very much indeed. Well, next up here on CNN, a celestial solar event, North America

prepares to be stunned with a total eclipse just hours away, more than that after this.

[09:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: -- earth band Eat your heart out because the solar eclipse is almost here and we are prepared. Millions of people across North America

will witness daytime becoming night as the moon completely blocks out the sun. These are the regions in the path of totality as it is known just make

sure to never look directly at the sun without protecting your eyes. Rosa Flores is feeling the mood in Kerrville in Texas. Rosa, describe the

atmosphere.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, there is Eclipse mania here in Kerrville, Texas. You could see some people taking photos behind me. But I

want to welcome you to the heart of the Texas Hill Country, which is here in Kerrville where everything is Texas sighs, the food portions, the crowd

sizes and yes, the eclipse glasses.

The ones that you see behind me are actually a size small actually requested an extra-large for myself I'm pretty big. I got to tell you that

this town is expecting about 100,000 people, that according to the mayor from all over the world. She was describing that she's heard from people

from Europe and New Zealand and all over the world, which is really exciting for this town.

And it's for this reason, I want to show you this NASA map because it has an X and X really does mark the spot because at the center of that X is

Kernville. Here's why, so there was an eclipse here about six months ago in October. And there is another Eclipse today. And what you're looking at are

the two paths of totality.

And at the center, it's Kerrville. That's why so many people feel that there's going to be extreme energy in this particular place. There's a lot

of businesses in town that are buzzing, but I want to take you inside Zen & Alchemy because not only do they have a lot of merchandise that the

earrings that I'm wearing and the t-shirt.

They have all sorts of things that they sell, but also out of towners are going in there for healings and also for pre-eclipse alignment of the body

and soul and because weather could be an issue today there is a lot of cloud cover. I'm seeing the sun for the first time actually this morning.

We asked them well what happens if there's complete cloud cover and we can't see the eclipse. The good news is that they said this. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: Hoping for good weather --

RISCHA LEINWEBER, CO-OWNER OF ZEN & ALCHEMY: Hoping for good weather, but even if it's not the energy is still there. It's still going to get dark.

[09:20:00]

FLORES: So even if we --

LEINWEBER: -- whatever.

FLORES: -- see it all potential cloud cover.

LEINWEBER: Is still there.

FLORES: We're still going to feel it.

LEINWEBER: Absolutely.

FLORES: So that might be the big price for the day, if it rains, or if it's storms or whatever.

LEINWEBER: You still get the energy from the eclipse, absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: And Becky, I did get an evil eye there to ward off the weather. You know, I'm just trying to do my part so that the 100,000 people that could

be here today can enjoy the eclipse, back to you, Becky.

ANDERSON: Good for you. Thank you back with you next hour. Well, who will have clear blue skies to view this eclipse and where will cloudy conditions

unfortunately, getting away or bad weather across parts of the South in the States could impact travel at least to watch the eclipse as well as

jeopardize eclipse viewing in some of the prime spots. Let's find out what's going on. And Allison Chinchar is here with that, Allison?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, that's right. The real question is where is, Mother Nature going to cooperate and where is she not going to

cooperate. And the thing is we are going to have some fantastic spots weather wise for the viewing. Some of those include areas of Missouri,

Southern Illinois and Indiana as well.

And then another target point, that's likely going to be some of the best viewing that extends from Vermont, all the way up through Maine where

you're talking plenty of sunshine and clear skies there to be able to view this thing at its fullest as it was meant to. But there's also going to be

some less than ideal locations, places like Niagara Falls New York up to Rochester likely going to have a lot of cloud cover there and also yes, the

potential areas of portions of Texas and Arkansas.

Well, the reason for this is we have the potential for strong to severe thunderstorms. Now the good news here is that those thunderstorms are

mainly going to happen after the eclipse is over. But we know a lot of times those clouds build ahead of time. So the real question is how much of

an increase of cloud covered do we see before those thunderstorms arrive?

And do they arrive during totality time, the main concern is also going to be all of these people when they leave because once the eclipse is over,

many of them are staying in nearby locations and will have to drive there or travel to those locations, you may end up having some of those strong

and severe thunderstorms that can kind of interfere with that especially as we go later into the evening and farther east of the totality line.

A lot of those areas going to be dealing with some thunderstorms, but again, some good spots there Indianapolis, Indiana, for example, some

clouds this morning, but we should gradually start to see those decrease as we go through the rest of the day making for more view ability especially

in terms of the sunshine and also Burlington, Vermont, a few clouds, Becky, but not enough to really deter people from being able to see the eclipse

this afternoon.

ANDERSON: Nice and all those eclipse earrings I spoke to --

CHINCHAR: They are and an eclipse shirt. I only get to wear this every so many years. I had to take advantage of it.

ANDERSON: That's amazing. Seven years I'm glad you've kept the mothballs in the cupboard then. It looks amazing. Great, thank you very much indeed.

Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. And officials say at least 94 people are dead in

Mozambique, after a ferry boat capsized off the northern coast.

An official speaking on state television says the vessel was an overloaded fishing boat and wasn't licensed to transport people. Well, Mexico says it

will report Ecuador's police raid on its embassy to arrest Former Vice President Jorge Glas to the International Court of Justice.

Just before the raid, Mexico had granted Glas, political refugee status after he was living in the embassy since December. He is accused of

misusing public funds in Ecuador. Well medical group calls the humanitarian situation in Sudan deeply inadequate, nearly one year after the start of

what has been a devastating civil war that.

Doctors without Borders says more than 25 million people need help, a 40 percent increase over last year. Well the Vatican is reaffirming its

opposition to sex change treatments and a new document on human dignity. The declaration approved by Pope Francis says no to changing sex and to

gender ideology stating gender affirming surgery.

Surgery risks threatening a person's unique dignity, the document says it largely restates Catholic teaching on a range of topics that also include

opposition to abortion, surrogacy and the death penalty. Well CNN's Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb joins us now. What should we read into what

has been released today, Christopher?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, this is a significant Vatican document. It's been five years in the work and it's

looking at violations of human dignity.

[09:25:00]

And it's coming now because Pope Francis has identified new violations of human dignity including gender theory and gender affirming surgery. And

document says and I quote, it follows that any sex change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from

the moment of conception.

Now, Pope Francis throughout his pontificate has warned against gender theory, he's concerned that it eradicates the difference between male and

female. And that is something that's put forward a lot in the document. The other thing that's interesting about this document though, is that whilst

it restates Catholic opposition to abortion, and on gender.

It couches the middle and wider issues. So it also lists violence against women. It also lists concerns about migrants from poverty and the death

penalty, saying that these are all violations of human dignity. So what it's not doing is isolating one issue such as abortion, which some

Catholics would like the Vatican to do.

But he's saying that opposition to abortion must also include opposition to the death penalty. So there's a consistent ethic there or consistent life

ethic that the Pope and the Vatican want to underline. It's also interesting this document comes soon after a few months after the Vatican

issued quite a groundbreaking declaration on same sex blessing.

So this is after that trying to restate clear doctrine, but doing so in a pastoral way. And the Pope has whilst being concerned about gender ideology

has been welcoming to Trans Catholics and LGBTQ Catholics, Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you sir, an important and significant document. Thank you. Ahead on CNN more on that total eclipse of the sun will speak to

an expert about what to expect.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:30:00]

ANDERSON: Well, that is a familiar brand. You're looking at live pictures of the New York Stock Exchange, as it begins its trading week on an

executive with does ringing the opening bell. Personal Product Company marking 20 years of its real beauty campaign, traders -- they're hoping for

a really beautiful March inflation number.

It'll be released this week. They'll hope it is a predictor of when the Fed will start to cut interest rates. Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson. You're

watching "Connect the World", out of our programming hub here in Abu Dhabi, just barely in the markets on the up hovering around the 40,000 mark.

That's the next psychological threshold for traders on the DOW JONES industrial average. But they are not making any major moves as they wait

for that inflation data and oil prices BRENT and WTI CRUDE. Let's have a look at those. Those are down, today, it been on the up, down as you can

see some 0.5 percent on BRENT, down to just above 90 bucks on the barrel still a relatively robust number there.

But even if they are down today, higher oil prices do pose the most serious threat to the U.S. economy. That assessment from Moody's Chief Economist

Mark Zandi tells CNN that resulting increases in gasoline prices would worsen inflation readings and could impact the presidential elections.

Zandi says if pump prices top $4 a gallon for two or three months, Donald Trump will win in November. Matt Egan joins me with more on this, and just

remind us, why these numbers are so significant?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Becky, there are a lot of positives in the U.S. economy, in the world economy right now in the U.S., I mean the jobs

market is on fire, consumers are spending and the economy is growing at a healthy pace. But as you mentioned, oil prices, they are a growing threat

because if they go high enough, they could unwind really all of those positives.

We saw U.S. crude top $87 a barrel briefly on Friday for the first time since October. You can see on that chart, there's Brent crude, above $90 a

barrel. Mark Zandi, he told me listen, the economy can live with $85, $90 oil in the U.S. But once it gets to 95, 100 or even more, that's the danger

zone because that's going to hurt consumer spending.

It's going to particularly hurt low income families. And so Zandi said, yeah, this is the biggest risk to the U.S. economy right now. It is a

danger that we need to pay very close attention too. Remember the higher oil prices go the more consumers are paying at the gas pump, the national

average here in the U.S. up to 360 a gallon now that's up by six cents in a week 20 cents in a month.

And getting closer to the $4 level and Moody's found in an election model that they've run that gas prices are a major variable for the November

election. So major that as you mentioned, if gas prices spike above four, and they stay there, then you could have a situation where that alone would

actually be enough to tip the election in Donald Trump's favor.

Now we should talk a little bit about why we're seeing this tick up in prices in the energy landscape and part of it is normal, part of it is

seasonal as the weather warms up in the Northern Hemisphere, we do see demand go higher. Part of it is also intentional. OPEC+ the producer group

led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, they're holding back supply.

They want prices to go up and that strategy is working, then you have the war factor with drone attacks on oil refineries in Russia. And now the big

focus is on the Middle East and how Iran is going to respond to that massive and significant airstrike a week ago. There are concerns, Becky,

that response from Iran could actually threaten or even derail oil supplies from this critical region.

So we do need to pay very close attention to what happens next on the oil front because it's going to have a big impact for the economy, for markets

and maybe even for the political situation.

ANDERSON: Absolutely. Good to have you, Matt. Thank you. Well, one of the year's most anticipated celestial events is almost here. Later today, total

eclipse, solar eclipse will be seen in parts of Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. Our next guest has extensively researched eclipses Dr. Angela Speck

as a Former Co-Chair of the American Astronomical Associations Task Force on the total solar eclipse.

[09:35:00]

She's also a Professor of Astrophysics and the Chair of the Department of the Physics and Astronomy at the University of Texas at San Antonio. It is

good to have you, Angela. Joining us now with your insights on today's total solar eclipse, you're certainly in the right part of the country to

hopefully witness this full eclipse. So let's start with that, are you confident that you are going to get to see one?

DR. ANGELA SPECK, PROFESSOR AT UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO: I would say cautiously optimistic right now, it may be just too cloudy, but it'll

get dark, even if it's cloudy.

ANDERSON: And as I list your academic qualifications and your professional chairs, it makes my head sort of explode with the kind of information that

you will have for us on solar eclipses. So let's start with some very basic questions. Why does this happen? Just explain the mechanics here.

SPECK: So it really is as simple as the moon is blocking out the sun. So if the view is the sun, my face is the Earth, the Moon is literally just going

here. So anybody standing on my nose would hurt, but would also not be able to see the sun. And it's as simple as that. The complication comes in how

often it happens and how small an area gets to actually see.

ANDERSON: Well just explain what you mean by that?

SPECK: OK, so most, so it takes a month for the moon to go around. So it's going around the earth and coming back to this position. But in that case,

we would expect to get an eclipse every month, we don't, we actually only get a lining up every six months. And not all of those will be total.

So the last lining up was in October, six months ago. And that one was what we call an annular or Ring of Fire eclipse, where the moon was just a

little bit too far away, it didn't quite work out the sun. So we do get a lining up of the earth, moon sometimes come every six months. But only

about one in three is a total eclipse --

ANDERSON: -- being -- an amazing event, what do we learn out of these solar eclipses?

SPECK: There is so much science going on during the solar eclipse. It's everything from understanding the sun itself, and especially its atmosphere

that we can only see during a total solar eclipse. And the sun sometimes throws things at us and can cause problems on Earth. So we really want to

understand it.

But it also allows us to do things like testing our models of the atmosphere, because we can't build a fake atmosphere in a lab, we can build

it in a computer. But then we can test those computer models because we just switch off the sun for a few minutes. See what happens. Does it match

what our models do? There are also really fun things with animals and plants. Animals react to that change in sunlight.

ANDERSON: Remarkable stuff, listen, I've run out of time and you need to get yourself ready we are what an hour and a half or so unchanged couple of

hours away from what we hope and you are crossing your fingers for will be a good viewing experience where you are in so many other places around

North America. Thank you for joining us. Get yourself ready.

SPECK: Thank you.

ANDERSON: And wherever you are watching in the world. If you are in the right place folks do remember, be careful of those eyes. Coming up, it

remains tight at the top of the Premier League. All the latest on Sunday's a crucial match, after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:00]

ANDERSON: Well in sports, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks now has their third NCAA women's college basketball national championship

title. I should have put my teeth in should know before I did all of that. They dashed Caitlin Clark streams with an 87-75 victory over the Iowa

Hawkeyes on Sunday and completed their season without any losses.

Now look, Caitlin Clark said despite the loss she doesn't have time to -- and said she was proud of her teammates. Clark now heads to the WNBA where

she is expected to be the top pick in the draft later this month. Well it's going the distance in the English Premier League with three teams locked in

a tight race for the title but it seems as though one side may have just blinked, Amanda Davies, with the -- blink, Amanda.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah it was a point one or two point dropped by Liverpool against Manchester United on Sunday. It was an epic

encounter and you have to say Liverpool were 2-1 down until conceding a penalty six minutes from time which ultimately saw them gain a point but

they dominated they should have got a whole lot more from that game against United.

So it is also leading the way on goal difference from Liverpool and Manchester City very close behind and it really does look like it's going

to go all the way. Jurgen Klopp urging his fans to stay calm not gets to disconcert just yet.

Manchester United might have something to say about Arsenal's title chances but yeah, it's brilliant. This is one of those title races you really can't

take your eyes off and we've got plenty more to come and just a couple of minutes, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yeah, absolutely and for Klopp to say keep calm. I mean really. I can't get used to that -- their way that green and white, just doesn't work

for me that level get anyway. What do they care about what I think? Amanda's got all of these forces coming up after this short break. Stay

with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

END