Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Israel Warns Hezbollah of Possible "All-Out War"; Rift between Israeli Government and White House ahead of Netanyahu Visit to U.S.; Russia-North Korea Relations Reach "A New Level"; Saudi Heat Kills Hundreds, Including Hajj Pilgrims; Global Temperature Rise Presents Risks to Health; Justin Timberlake Faces July Court after DWI; CNN Anchor's Family History of Fighting Slavery; Euro 2024. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired June 19, 2024 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to our second hour of the show. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi, where the time is 6:00 in the
evening.
Your headlines this hour: Israeli officials are discussing the possibility of all-out war after Hezbollah send a tacit warning of its own.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed a new strategic partnership in North Korea as Moscow and Pyongyang hoped to, quote, "reach a new level in
their relationship."
And Euro's action is underway again, Albania, putting it up to European heavyweight Croatia. Will bring you the very latest.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: We start with fears of an expanding conflict in the Middle East after Israel's foreign minister warns Hezbollah it would be destroyed if
all-out war breaks out.
Israel Katz's comments online follow Hezbollah's release of a purported nine minute drone video that shows sensitive military locations and
civilian areas in Haifa and other Israeli cities.
And while tensions percolate along the northern border with Lebanon, there's a brewing diplomatic riff between the Netanyahu government and the
White House. We are connecting the dots on this for you with Ben Wedeman back with us this hour from Beirut. Paula Hancocks is in Jerusalem and
Lauren Fox is in Washington on Capitol Hill.
We start with you, Ben. Just describe to us the importance of this purported video shot by drones, Hezbollah says, from Lebanon over Israeli
cities, including Haifa, which, of course, serves as a crucial gateway to the rest of the world.
And maybe more importantly for Israel, how does Hezbollah manage to fly a drone in such strategic locations?
And is this psychological warfare that we're looking at?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, I think the Israelis are also trying to figure out how it is that Hezbollah was able to
fly those drones over some very sensitive military positions, military industries, the port, where we see huge oil storage facilities.
They got it all. Now for one thing, what we've been seeing from almost the beginning of the back-and-forth skirmishes between Hezbollah and Israel is
that Hezbollah has been targeting Israeli surveillance and observational equipment all along the border.
Israelis in fact, did run in cranes to replace the destroyed surveillance equipment and Hezbollah took those out as well. So clearly, there are holes
in their ability to see what enters Israeli airspace.
But above and beyond that, clearly Hezbollah has the technical capabilities to collect this sort of sensitive information well inside Israeli
territory. It's about 30 kilometers from the nearest point on the Lebanese- Israeli border to Haifa.
Was it a propaganda video?
Actually if you looked at the text in the video, there wasn't anything about attacks. It was just very sort of factual, explaining what this
location is, what it served, what you're scene and it really is a message to the Israelis that, don't mess with us.
We not only have the ability to collect intelligence inside your -- deep inside your territory on very sensitive sites. But along with that probably
comes other capabilities that we've seen slowly unveiled in the last few weeks.
For instance, Hezbollah, in the last few months, has been able to fire, shoot down three Hermes 900 Israeli drones, very sophisticated drones, that
can fly as high as 30,000 feet. They took those out with anti anti-aircraft missiles. Two weeks ago, they were able to strike, according to Hezbollah.
[10:05:00]
But the video would also seem to confirm that, an Israeli Iron Dome battery. The Iron Dome is really the backbone of Israel's missile defense
system. So even though Israeli officials like the foreign minister are talking about destroying Hezbollah, Hezbollah is showing that it's not a
foe that should be underestimated in any sense of the word.
ANDERSON: Yes, this is not Hamas we're speaking about here.
Ben, the Hezbollah chief expected to speak in this hour.
What might we hear from him?
WEDEMAN: The theme of his talk, his speech, is going to be, first of all, to eulogize a senior Hezbollah commander, who was killed by the Israelis
last week by the name of Taleb Abdallah.
But of course, obviously he's going to use this speech to send messages. We've don't know what but it's important that Amos Hochstein, the U.S.
special envoy for Lebanon and Israel, was here yesterday.
He obviously passed messages to Hezbollah so we might get a hint at how Hezbollah is responding to those messages. There's no expectation he's
going to break news or anything like that.
But certainly it's always important to listen to what he says. The Israelis listen very closely to what Nasrallah says but it is certainly -- will give
an indication if we're going to see escalation or deescalation.
Now I've followed the situation on the border very closely. Hezbollah said Saturday evening is well below its daily average of strikes on Israeli
positions. Israel, however, has, if anything, increased the tempo of its strikes.
So we'll just wait and see and I hope you can come back to us so we can discuss it further. Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. Absolutely, Ben. Thank you.
Paula, let me bring you in here because, as we discussed with Ben, what is going on on that northern front, which is a clear issue for the Israelis,
there is a serious rift beginning to open up now between Benjamin Netanyahu and the Biden administration. Let's have a listen to what he had to say
about secretary of state Antony Blinken yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: it's inconceivable that, in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and
ammunitions to Israel.
Israel, America's closest ally, fighting for its life, fighting against Iran and our other common enemies. Secretary Blinken assured me that the
administration is working day and night to remove these bottlenecks. I certainly hope that's the case. It should be the case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: What's the perspective in Israel about why it is that Benjamin Netanyahu released that video yesterday, very pointedly speaking there
about a conversation with Antony Blinken?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And speaking in English, Becky.
So it's very clear that the audience is American, the audience is international. This is not for domestic considerations. Now, it's no secret
that there are differences between the Israeli leader and the U.S. president, Joe Biden. They've certainly had their differences over recent
months.
Not least because the U.S. has been pushing Israel to be more careful in Gaza, to push for this ceasefire, something that the Israeli prime minister
has not openly said that he will agree to, the ceasefire or hostage deal.
And also pushing for a Palestinian state, something that the Israeli prime minister has said he does not support. So the differences between these two
sides are very pronounced.
It is surprising, though, that he would come out and do this so publicly, washing dirty laundry in public, if you like. It did have quite a surprise
response from the Biden administration as well. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We, as you know, are continuing to review one shipment that President Biden has talked about with regard to
2000-pound bombs, because of our concerns about their use in the densely populated area like Rafah, that remains other -- under review.
But everything else is moving as it normally would move.
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We generally do not know what he's talking about. We just don't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: And there's no Israeli official at this point that's going on the record to speak about this. No one appears to want to have their name
next to this video -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, I mean, hmm.
Lauren, let me bring you in at this point, because all of this happening just ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington in July to address
Congress.
[10:10:05]
We have seen some pushback already, with some lawmakers saying that they will boycott that. Have a listen to Senator Elizabeth Warren earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Do you plan to attend prime minister Netanyahus address to Congress?
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): No.
Look, we need a cease-fire. We need to get those hostages back. We need humanitarian relief. And we need to be giving both parties a big shove
toward getting to the negotiating table and working out a peaceful solution.
RAJU: Did the president make clear that he should not address Congress, Netanyahu?
WARREN: Look, that's up to the president but I'm not going.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Joe Biden facing some quite serious backlash within his own party on this, isn't he?
And he's really looking at a dilemma ahead of November's election. Explain if you will.
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
I mean, this is still a month away. And I think it's clear that there are many progressive Democrats who plan to boycott Netanyahu's speech when he
comes to address Congress in July. But this is really coming from two different places.
On the one hand, there is just disagreement with Netanyahu's handling of this conflict in the Middle East. On the other, there's also this feeling
from some liberals that you are putting Joe Biden in this position, where someone who has been critical of the president is coming and addressing
Congress just months before the November election.
So it's really sort of the politics abroad and also the politics at home that they don't agree with. You have to keep in mind, this is happening in
the context in which the House Speaker, Mike Johnson, has put a series of really tough votes on the floor that have fractured Democrats in some
cases.
Now there's really typically just a small number of Democrats that vote with Republicans on some those proposals. But it has been one of the most
difficult conflicts for the leader, the Democratic leader in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, to manage within his conference.
And so I expect that there's going to be a large number of Democrats boycotting Netanyahu's address to Congress. We should note that, about a
decade ago when he came to Capitol Hill, there were also dozens of Democrats who boycotted the speech. So that's not precisely new.
But I think the numbers might be larger. It's also possible that they have press conferences or some kind of other counter programming when he comes
to speak. So it would go beyond just not showing up for the speech; it would be more of a tacit opposition as well -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, it's fascinating. Thank you, Lauren.
Paula, let me just bring you back in because we've got a new report from the U.N. human rights office today, warning that Israel may have violated
international law through its use of 2000-pound bombs in attacking, targeting schools and refugee camps in Gaza.
We heard Antony Blinken suggesting it was very specifically the 2000-pound bombs that are on hold at present per Joe Biden in a conversation he had
with our very own Erin Burnett. But everything else is rolling.
What evidence has this report outlined?
HANCOCKS: So this report, Becky, was looking at a very specific timeline. It was looking at October to December of last year. And it's looking at six
specific attacks. It says they were attacks on densely populated areas. There was a school, also markets, residential buildings as well.
They're looking at the use of these 2000-pound bombs and whether they should have been used within such a densely populated area, saying that
Israel may have violated international law with the use of these bombs in such an area, where it is very clear that there will be significant
civilian damage and deaths.
Now we've heard from Israel as well; they've rejected it. They say that Hamas hides among the civilian population. They say that the U.N. has a
bias, which it has had for decades, in fact. And so Israel rejects this report out of hand, Becky.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Paula.
To Ben, Lauren and Paula, thank you very much indeed for joining us.
You can find more on everything that we've just spoken about as well as other analysis and deep dives on the regions -- story -- excuse me -- by
heading to our website and subscribing to our "Meanwhile in the Middle East" newsletter. It's a jolly good read. The QR code, if that is what you
use, is on the bottom of your screen.
The leaders of Russia and North Korea are both hailing today's meetings in Pyongyang as a, quote, "breakthrough" moment in their relationship.
[10:15:02]
A huge crowd turned out in the capital's central square to give Vladimir Putin a red-carpet welcome. While the two countries are already allies, of
course, they are forging even closer ties, it seems, with a new partnership agreement.
This agreement says the deal includes a provision on what they would do if either country was attacked. This comes as tensions are growing with the
West. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): We highly appreciate your consistent and unwavering support for Russian policy,
including the Ukrainian strand.
I'm referring to our fight against the hegemonic policy imposed for decades, the imperialist policy of the United States and its satellites
against the Russian Federation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Mike Valerio watching all of this from Seoul in South Korea. We're joined by CNN contributor and former Moscow bureau chief Jill
Dougherty, who is in Washington.
It's good to have you, Jill.
Stand by, Mike.
What's at -- what has come out of this meeting so far?
What do we understand to be the details and the substance of this strategic partnership, described as a breakthrough moment for these two countries?
MIKE VALERIO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, I would say the main question tonight is, have we just seen the formation of an
authoritarian version of NATO's Article 5?
That is the biggest question as the dust settles here on the Korean Peninsula right now. Of course, we've reached out to the Pentagon and our
contacts in Washington, D.C. It's a holiday in the United States, Juneteenth today.
So we may be a little slow to get some answers. But Becky, I would say there was an indelible image and then an indelible policy moment that
happened today.
The indelible image is of these two authoritarian leaders of struggling countries, that are beset by sanctions from so many countries in the West,
the United Nations, riding in a black, sleek, open-air limousine, appearing stronger together, such an image for domestic consumption, for both of
their countries.
They are parties to this elaborate celebration in the middle of Kim Il-sung Square in central Pyongyang, which can hold up to 100,000 people. And they
go behind closed doors for several hours.
And we're resting on the Kremlin's expectations of this meeting that had been delivered to us over the past 24 hours, expecting maybe small ball
deliverables in terms of tourism, economic cooperation.
And then Vladimir Putin comes to the lecture and after the meeting is all said and done and he says, in the event of aggression that meets either
North Korea or Russia, there would be within the realm of possibility a provision of mutual assistance in the event of aggression.
So the question is, is that automatic intervention?
Is this an automatic call for a mutual defense response?
We have this treaty in 1961 that was signed between Khrushchev and Kim Il- sung, the founding leader of North Korea, which had much stronger language, calling for an immediate military response in the event of some sort of
armed conflict.
So the problem here, Becky, is that, at this moment, we don't have a text version of this agreement. but notably Kim Jong-un is calling this
relationship an alliance. That is new. We can talk about their relationship in conversational terms as an alliance. But it's still a hefty term that he
is now using for the first time.
So listen to what he had to say on that front.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIM JONG-UN, NORTH KOREAN LEADER (through translator): The great democratic People's Republic of Korea-Russia alliance, which will become a
watershed moment in the development of this bilateral relations, finally raised its anchor in history and announced this solid departure here today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALERIO: And in terms of what disagreement means in real terms, we're wondering.
Does it mean military drills?
Does it mean similar to what we have with the United States and the forces of the Republic of Korea, drills that happen all the time?
Vladimir Putin said, for his part, he's leaving the door open for military cooperation in that vein, Becky.
ANDERSON: Jill, let me bring you in here. We've got a response from John Kirby at the White House briefing. Let's just listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADM. JOHN KIRBY (RET.), COORDINATOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: We're not concerned about the trip. What
we are concerned about, Trevor, is the deepening relationship between these two countries, not just because of the impacts it's going to have on the
Ukrainian people.
Because we know North Korean ballistic missiles are still being used to hit Ukrainian targets. But because there could be some reciprocity here that
could affect security on the Korean Peninsula.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: So Kirby very specifically talking there about the potential for more munitions from North Korea going to Russia, to help them wage this war
on Ukraine.
[10:20:05]
Not really speaking to the kind of wider story here.
I wonder; you've been watching, you've been working in and watching sort of Russian positioning for years now.
What do you make of this trip and what we've heard, this breakthrough sort of partnership as described by these two parties?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You know, there's so many different layers to this, Becky. But I think if you get into this mutual assistance
in case of aggression, I think this is classic Putin. Because right now, as soon as these news flashes are coming out, red flags are raised in the
West, in the United States, North -- South Korea.
The entire Asia area and people are saying, what does this mean?
Well, already, score one for Putin because he's been able to get the world into a tizzy, wondering what this means.
Now if it means that, let's say North Korea attacks the United States with a missile and the United States responds in some way.
Does it mean that Russia would attack the United States?
I mean, these are the things that are important to know. But I don't think we're going to know those, because, right now, Putin is leveraging this
direct relationship with North Korea in a weapons sanctions busting, et cetera.
But he's also leveraging the optics of this. And it is all focused on the United States and sending a message to the United States. So the less clear
it is, in a way, the more effective it is for Putin. Eventually we'll have to see what it means and how far it goes.
But I think he's -- this is part reality and part propaganda. And the North Koreans are experts in propaganda and very strange messages, sent in
different ways.
ANDERSON: It's always good to have you, Jill, your insight and analysis are important. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.
And Mike, too, thank you.
Well, from the U.S. to Europe, to India, millions are battling heat waves. I want to speak with an expert about how to recognize a potential health
emergency in what is extreme heat. That is up next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Extreme heat bearing down on communities across the globe.
This week in the United States, heat alerts remain in place for more than 80 million people, mostly in the Northeast and Midwest. As far north as
Maine, records are expected to fall.
[10:25:02]
Officials there have issued warnings and opened cooling centers for residents.
On the other side of the globe in India, high temperatures are putting a strain on water supplies and on electricity. Indian authorities have been
forced to limit the flow of public water. In some places, they're using water tankers to meet demand.
On Tuesday, officials said the heat wave pushed demands for energy to a record high. The government boosting the amount of power it imports from
its neighbors by at least 25 percent.
And hundreds of people are reported to have died in sweltering conditions in Saudi Arabia during the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. AFP reporting
that a staggering 550 or more have died, saying that figure comes from diplomats, who added that 323 of the dead were Egyptian.
Most of them were killed by heat related conditions. I want to look at just how extreme heat can affect people. Let's bring in an expert to discuss
this.
Kristie Ebi is a professor of global health at the University of Washington. She's been researching climate related to health risks for 25
years and she joins us from Scotland.
Dr. Ebi, welcome to the program. And thank you for joining us. I just want to read out some statistics that the New York state health department has
shared with CNN. Snapshot here, there were 41 heat-related illnesses at the emergency department on June the 17th. That's this week.
That is 215 percent above the 13-day average for the month of June seen in recent years, just a snapshot. But the point is that there and in places
around the world, we are seeing this extreme heat that people are having to cope with.
How dangerous is heat for the body?
Let's start there.
DR. KRISTIE EBI, PROFESSOR OF GLOBAL HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON: Heat is a silent killer in the sense that we often don't understand that
we're starting to get into trouble with the heat. We don't have good feedback on our core body temperature.
And as our core body temperature starts to rise, it can affect ourselves and our organs. In essence, we are providing excess heat around organs that
are not really able to manage that. And so, yes. You can see very high morbidity and mortality during these heat events.
ANDERSON: What's the body's limit?
What temperatures are we talking about before it becomes dangerous?
And I know you're likely to tell me it depends on the person and obviously age and how fit people are.
But what's the ballpark here?
EBI: We're talking about our core body temperature, which is something that we don't measure.
There's ways to measure it rectally but typically people don't. And so it's not a helpful number for people to know.
But what you said is the most important, that there are people who are more susceptible because of age, because of physical fitness, because of
prescription drugs they take, because of the kinds of jobs that they have.
It's important for all of us to pay attention to these susceptibilities and make sure that we find cool places, we drink sufficient water, that we do
whatever is needed, including going to a hospital if we feel unwell because of the heat.
ANDERSON: We often talk about heat stroke.
What do we mean by heat stroke?
EBI: Heat stroke is a medical condition. It's when that core body temperature is starting to seriously heat our internal organs. When
somebody has heat stroke, it is an emergency. That core body temperature needs to be brought down very quickly.
When we had the Pacific heat dome a few years ago in the Pacific Northwest what our emergency departments did, which I assume other emergency
departments are doing as well, is people would come in with these very high core body temperatures.
They'd be put immediately into body bags. And that body bag would be filled with ice to really cool people down. If not, heat stroke has a high
mortality rate. And people who survive heat stroke can have lifelong consequences for their health.
ANDERSON: So news you can use here.
What can one do to avoid heat stress?
There will be people in parts of the world watching this, who, frankly, are experiencing these extreme weather events.
What's your advice?
[10:30:00]
EBI: There's a wide range of actions that individuals can take to help keep that core body temperature down. Some of them are behavioral.
What are you wearing?
Are you sitting in a place where there's good ventilation?
Do you have access to an electric fan?
And so there's ways that we can take action. There's other actions we can take that will help support our physiological responses. If you're in front
of a electric fan, if you put some water on your skin, that water will evaporate from the fan and that will really help cool you down.
You can take towels and put them in ice water and drape those around your neck to help cool yourself down. Anything that you find that helps cool
yourself down -- and make sure that you do it for a sufficient time, acknowledging that sufficient is ill-defined.
But you want to make sure that you get to a place where your core body temperature has decreased so that you can then deal with the heat more
effectively as that heat continues to build through the afternoon.
ANDERSON: Generally, we've been able to cool down at nighttime. I mean, that's sort of -- seems to be a given.
But even that now is becoming more difficult.
I mean, how alarmed are you at what you see as the trends out there, when you are looking at climate related heat illnesses?
EBI: The trends are very concerning and you highlighted an important issue that it is heat at night that's often quite important for susceptible
populations. They may get through the day, may be uncomfortable and they get through that really hot day.
But if they can't cool down at night, that's when you see an even further increase in mortality. And the trends are very concerning. You talked about
India, you talked about what's going on in the Middle East and finding ways to help ensure that we can help people stay cool.
Because you cited some numbers for New York. That's a fraction of the number of people who are affected. We know that after a heat wave, there
are many more deaths than what we originally reported. About half of those deaths are from cardiovascular causes.
Very important to help people keep their body as cool as they can during these extremely hot periods.
And I will add that many cities around the world have heat wave early warning systems. And as part of those, some of them have set up cooling
shelters, where people can go and cool down in an environment that will protect them during the heat of the day.
ANDERSON: Yes, we are beginning to see countries around -- the governments and countries around the world sort of acknowledging that this is a -- this
is a real problem. As you say, there are warning systems in places in some parts of the world and provisions in place.
Not enough and not in the right places necessarily. Good to have you. We'll have you again, thank you very much indeed.
Still to come on CNN, what music superstar Justin Timberlake is saying about the charge that he was driving while intoxicated. A live report on
that is just ahead.
Plus as the U.S. celebrates freedom from slavery, we'll take a look back at the remarkable family's story from one of our own here at CNN.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:35:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD time where we are broadcasting to you from in Abu Dhabi. It's 36
minutes past 6.
An update on a story that we broke for you here yesterday. After being charged with driving while intoxicated, music superstar Justin Timberlake
has been released from police custody and faces a court date next month.
The officer said that Timberlake's eyes were, quote, "bloodshot and glassy" and there was, he said, "a strong odor of alcohol on his breath."
Timberlake told police he had one drink. CNN's Brynn Gingras following this for us.
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Becky, we still haven't heard from the pop star himself. No comment made after that arrest on a single DWI
charge. We haven't heard from the lawyer who actually represented him in court yesterday morning here in Sag Harbor, a tiny enclave up The Hamptons,
a pretty elite area of New York.
But what we do know is from the court documents. What they tell us is that he was pulled over about 12:30 in the morning on Tuesday morning. And
police say that they observed him blow right through a stop sign and then, for like six blocks or so, was swerving in between lanes before they
finally pulled him over.
And the officer that made the arrest essentially said that Timberlake had slurred speech. He was a slow talking when he went to reach for his vehicle
registration. He had bloodshot eyes and -- excuse me -- glassy eyes. And then they actually gave him a field sobriety test. And he failed that field
sobriety test, had an unsteady footing.
They made an arrest of Justin Timberlake, 43 years old. They brought him into a local jail and he refused three breathalyzer tests. So he had to
spend the night in jail before they finally released him on his own recognizance. No bail set.
Now listen, this is in the middle of a world tour that he is on right now after releasing his sixth album. He is supposed to perform in Chicago this
weekend then come back here to New York to perform in Madison Square Garden next week. And he has a court date set for this charge. It's going to be
July 26th.
On that date, Becky, he actually is playing in Poland. He doesn't need to appear here. It's going to be a virtual hearing. So he doesn't need to
actually be here in New York for that hearing.
But so far, that's the latest we have heard. Only thing we'd been -- only thing that he's actually said about this arrest was what the officer says
he said to him, which was that he had one martini and that he was following his friends home. But nothing more for than that, Becky.
ANDERSON: That's the update. Brynn, good to have you. Thank you.
Well, the newest U.S. holiday, a day of reflection and celebration. Still to come, we will have more on the Juneteenth celebrations. And join a CNN
anchor and his family as he discovers its remarkable roots.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:40:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Well, today, June 19th, is the day that America celebrates the end of slavery in the country.
Juneteenth became a new federal holiday in 2021. But its roots go back to the 1860s, when Black communities in Texas would gather to recognize the
anniversary of the day that they were set free.
And for many Black Americans, it is a day of reflection to look back to their roots and the courage it took those earlier generations to fight for
their freedom. And that is what CNN anchor Victor Blackwell has been doing, with the help of the International African American Museum.
Here is Victor's story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): It's been one year since my family learned of our astonishing history that brought me to tears.
V. BLACKWELL: (Crying) Man, this is -- oh, man.
V. BLACKWELL (voice-over): I was covering the opening of the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina.
And through the genealogists in its Center for Family History, I learned that in the late 18th century, an enslaved woman in Northumberland County,
Virginia named Sarah. My seven times great grandmother sued her enslaver for her freedom and the freedom of her descendants and won.
Dr. Shelley Murphy is the center's director.
DR. SHELLEY MURPHY, HEAD GENEAOLOGIST, INTERNATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM: Your line started out enslaved and became free up until where
you're at right now.
Give me a hug. How are you?
V. BLACKWELL: Good to see you.
V. BLACKWELL (voice-over): Recently, I invited Dr. Murphy to Baltimore to meet my mother and my cousins, all overwhelmed by the discovery -- all
beneficiaries of Sarah's groundbreaking lawsuit.
TONY BLACKWELL, VICTOR'S COUSIN: To have women step up and speak out about their freedom back then is just -- it was just incredible.
MURPHY: That threat of being killed or sold, unbelievable.
T. BLACKWELL: Yes.
MURPHY: Unbelievable. And that's something that should go generations.
ZELDA MARSHALL, VICTOR'S COUSIN: That just blew me away that this was in our bloodline, you know. Sometimes you don't think it but you know, you are
-- we are powerful.
VANESSA GIBSON, VICTOR'S MOTHER: And, you know, it's sad that our parents -- especially our fathers --
MURPHY: Yes.
GIBSON: -- who were Blackwells are not here.
MARSHALL: Not here to see it.
MURPHY: Right.
GIBSON: And didn't know it. It would have been a story that they would have been so proud --
MARSHALL: Proud.
GIBSON: -- and would have passed it on to us --
T. BLACKWELL: Yes.
GIBSON: -- had they known.
MURPHY: Yes.
MARSHALL: Had they known.
V. BLACKWELL (voice-over): And last summer, my mother and our cousins drove to the county where Sarah won her freedom to pass that story on.
GIBSON: Well, we took a trip down to Northumberland County --
MARSHALL: Yes.
GIBSON: -- last summer for the Blackwell reunion. We didn't know hardly any of the people there --
MARSHALL: Right, right.
GIBSON: -- from that family.
T. BLACKWELL: I'm longing to find out more about the Blackwell side because unfortunately, we didn't know much about our side of the family
growing up.
V. BLACKWELL (voice-over): That journey begins here in Montgomery, Alabama with Bryan Stevenson. He's the executive director of the Equal Justice
Initiative and its new massive National Monument to Freedom.
BRYAN STEVENSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE: It's created by reviewing the 1870 census and the 1870 census in the United
States was the first time that formerly enslaved people had an opportunity to claim a surname that the government would recognize.
[10:45:00]
V. BLACKWELL (voice-over): More than 122,000 surnames on this wall, front and back, about four stories tall and about half the length of a football
field.
STEVENSON: Yes, we want to tell the story about the horrors and the degradation and the violence of slavery but we also want to tell the other
story about the resilience of enslaved people. About the courage, the strength, the perseverance.
There you are. Just jump out of me.
V. BLACKWELL: There it is.
STEVENSON: Yes, it is.
V. BLACKWELL: How about that?
Wow. To see that name with the, what, 122,000 others --
STEVENSON: Yes.
V. BLACKWELL: -- it is both humbling but also it gives my family a place.
STEVENSON: Yes, that's right.
Forty percent of the people who were enslaved claimed names that were associated with enslavers -- not to honor the enslaver but they were just
trying to create kinship and community with brothers and sisters and parents. They didn't want to give up on that, so they adopted those names.
V. BLACKWELL: They could have been sold off or traded off.
STEVENSON: Could have been sold off, exactly.
MURPHY: The Blackwell line came into the Virginia colonies in 1636.
V. BLACKWELL: Hmm.
MURPHY: Joseph Blackwell up into Northumberland.
V. BLACKWELL (voice-over): Dr. Murphy and other genealogists traced three Blackwell family lines coming into the colonies but Murphy was only able to
connect my line to the start of the 19th century.
MURPHY: There is a Mishack Blackwell and a Mishack Jr. Blackwell. And the first one was born about 1810.
V. BLACKWELL (voice-over): My great-great-great-great grandfather.
MURPHY: Just because of the area, Virginia, nine times out of 10 he would have been enslaved.
T. BLACKWELL: I never really heard much about the Blackwell family. So to hear this and to get information on this is -- I'm 65 years old. It feels
good.
MARSHALL: Yes.
V. BLACKWELL (voice-over): There are so many more questions to be answered but the more we look and the more we learned, the more we appreciate our
ancestors and their will to persevere.
STEVENSON: I think to know that you are the heir of people who found a way to survive, who found a way to overcome all of the hardship is something
that should generate pride.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: A remarkable story there from my colleague, Victor Blackwell.
Watch the CNN special event, "Juneteenth: Celebrating Freedom and Legacy." That's 10:00 pm tonight, right here on CNN International. That is Eastern
time. You can stream it on CNN Max and you will work out the times locally wherever you are watching in the world.
And wherever you are, you are more than welcome.
Still to come this hour, history is made as Georgia, the country, faces rival Turkiye at Euro 2024. We will get the highlights of that match along
with an update on the game that is going on right now, Albania versus Croatia. More on that after this.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Let's get you some news from Euro 2024. Another exciting day on the pitch underway. Albania, were leading against the 2018 World Cup
finalists Croatia. But two quick goals in the second half look to be enough to give the heavyweights the win.
[10:50:00]
Still not at the end of that match, though, so stand by.
On Tuesday, teenage football sensation Arda Guler helped Turkiye beat Georgia 3-1 with this critical and frankly pretty amazing goal that gave
Turkiye the advantage. By the time it was all over there were frenzied scenes inside the stadium in Germany, with thousands of Turkiye fans,
thousands celebrating.
CNN's Matias Grez following Euro 2024 for us.
Sir, to quickly get what's going on in that game that's just finishing, another thriller.
What's the, what's the ultimate result?
We've got one yet?
MATIAS GREZ, CNN DIGITAL PRODUCER: Still ongoing in the closing stages at the moment. But you're absolutely right. We've been treated to spoil by
some thrilling games at this Euro so far now. If Croatia are to hold onto this 2-1 win over Albania, like you said, coming from goal down, it would
be a huge result for them.
They suffered a really heavy 3-0 defeat to Spain in their opening group stage game. A result that threw out all sorts of questions about whether or
not this aging team, this was a tournament a step too far for them. They of course reached the final of the World Cup in 2018 and came third in 2022.
But their captain and star man, Luka Modric, is now 38 years old, playing in probably his final international tournament. And with a huge game
against defending champions Italy coming up in the final group stage game, three points here are absolutely crucial.
ANDERSON: I think every time he walks out onto the pitch there are people who say, is he's still playing?
And he is, of course and, of course, he is still a brilliant footballer. But you're right, making that point.
So look and they got spanked in the first game but looks like it looks as if they're going to hold on to this one against Albania. A team that has
scored very, very quickly in both of those games. So their fans have had something to cheer about as well.
We saw the Turkish Messi, as he is now being compared, in action last night. Just talk about Turkiye. Some are calling them dark horses,
especially with what seems like a home crowd in these games.
GREZ: I think they absolutely can count themselves as dark horses, especially they'll be brimming with confidence after that big 3-1 win over
Georgia last night.
And I think it's fair to say not many people would have bookmarked Turkiye and Georgia as the match they were most looking forward to at Euro 2024.
But it proved to be the game of the tournament so far. It had absolutely everything, like you say, an incredible atmosphere inside Borussia
Dortmund's famously noisy stadium.
Like you said at time, sounding like a Turkiye home game. There was a downpour for hours before the game and during the match which added an
extra layer of drama and complications for the teams.
And lastly, no shortage of incredible goals. The pick of the bunch scored by the teenage Turkiye sensation, Arda Guler, who has been likened already
to the Turkish Messi. So I think they have certainly pretty high hopes for him.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: And we've had Ronaldo, of course, in action. Talk about older footballers, he's, what, 39 at this point.
But he was in a brilliant game in Leipzig last night with one of the favorites, his team, of course, Portugal, having to work hard to get a
result.
How did that all play out in the end?
GREZ: Well, Portugal came into this tournament as one of the favorites, is one of the most talented, one of the youngest swans in the tournament.
And everybody had high hopes. But it wasn't a pretty performance, wasn't a vintage Portugal performance. But they'll be glad to get through that game
scoring a late 2-1 winner in that game.
And of course, like you said, Ronaldo, Ronaldo's not even the oldest player on that team. Pepe, 41 years and 113 days, last night broke the record as
the oldest player to ever appear at a tournament. And he still is remarkable for any player at any level to still be playing at 41.
But to be performing on this stage at 41 years of age is really incredible. Manager Roberto Martinez has maybe a bit of a dilemma around star man
Ronaldo going into these last two games.
He showed moments of brilliance in that game against the Czech Republic but was largely quiet and, maybe for these next two games, he'll be wondering
whether bringing in one of the younger players, fresh legs like the goal scorer, the winner on last night, for Francisco Conceicao to replace him
for the next two group stage games.
ANDERSON: As you and I are speaking, I'm just hearing in my ear from my producer that Albania have just equalized in the -- in the game against
Croatia.
So that is playing out to be one hell of a game.
Very briefly then, Scotland and Germany both taking to the field later today. Of course, the Germans have beaten Scotland in that first game in
that group.
What can -- what can we expect?
GREZ: Well, Hungary will certainly pose a much sterner test than Scotland did.
[10:55:00]
Of course Scotland went down to 10 men early in that game, which changed the complex -- the complexion of that game completely. But funny enough,
the host Germany came into this tournament with really low expectations.
They'd been on a terrible run of formers (ph) where their former manager sacked just nine months before the start of the tournament. And new
manager, Julian Nagelsmann, hasn't really been able to get much of a tune out of the team. There have been some improvements but not loads.
And similarly, when -- the last time Germany hosted a major international tournament, the 2006 World Cup, fans went into that tournament with
similarly low expectations. But that summer, the team's spot for what they now call a fairytale summer. And surprisingly reached the semifinals of
that tournament.
So another impressive performance against Hungary could have the hosts and German fans dreaming of another summer fairy tale.
ANDERSON: Good to have you in nearly the 100th minute in that game, Croatia-Albania, which is now 2-2, a very late equalizer by the Albanians
in what I understand was the 95th minute. I will let you go watch the back end, the dying embers of that game. It's fantastic to have you.
I know that you're enjoying it. We all are here watching from afar in Abu Dhabi.
And a quick reminder to you all, you can read more about that goal that we've just been describing by Arda Guler for Turkiye yesterday on our
digital platforms. That's all part of CNN's coverage of all the major sports news; Euro 2024, front and center. It's a big summer of sport. We
will be bringing that to you on this show.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD, stay with CNN.
END
