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Netanyahu: Intense Phase" Of The War " About To End"; Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant Visits Washington; Threats Of All Out War Grow Between Israel And Hezbollah. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired June 24, 2024 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:28]

ANOUNCER: Live from CNN, Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD.

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Welcome to our second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I am Eleni Giokos, live in Abu Dhabi.

At least 20 people are dead after gunmen attacked religious sites in Dagestan, Russia, a region with a history of violence for questions remain

as to who is responsible?

Israel's prime minister, signals intense bombardment of Gaza may be nearing an end, as his focus turns to Lebanon. Still, Benjamin Netanyahu said it

wouldn't need the war with Hamas is over.

And tragedy in the United States with 13 mass shootings on a single weekend, it's part of a worrying trend in a year, when already there have

been well over 200 such incidents.

Welcome to the show, and we start the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD with a looming shift in Israel's military focus from Gaza to the northern border

with Lebanon. That possible scenario laid out by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his first one on one interview with the Israeli media

since the Hamas terror attacks last October.

The prime minister is saying, "The intense phase of the war with Hamas is about to end. His interview comes while Israel's defense minister is in

Washington, meeting with his American counterparts, and other top officials. We'll have more from Lebanon in just a few minutes.

But first, we've got Paula Hancocks back with us this hour from Jerusalem. We've got Natasha Bertrand at the Pentagon to cover all these angles for

us.

Paula, I want to start off with you. And really significant messaging from Benjamin Netanyahu about the intensity of the war with Hamas, the

possibility of another front with Lebanon, this is rhetoric at this point in time.

But you know, we've just seen so many questions about the possibility of a spillover into the wider region. Give me a sense of the thinking behind

what Benjamin Netanyahu has made the sort of the rhetoric. But importantly, how they builds on what we've heard in the past week?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Eleni, this is really the first clarity that we've had from the prime minister himself, at

least, publicly, and on the record. So, it has to be taken as a significant interview on Channel 14.

The fact that he has said that this is -- the intense part of the war is about to be over, he is not saying that that's the end of the war,

according to this interview. He is saying that this current phase that we see, in Rafah is about to wrap up.

It is what we have been hearing behind the scenes, certainly for the past week, and now it is much more public. We know that, as you say, Yoav

Gallant, the defense minister is in Washington at the moment. He has said that he is going to discuss over there with his counterparts, the phase C,

which is the next phase in this this war after October 7th. Then, that was potentially something which is going to be more focused on the northern

border.

We heard that from Netanyahu as well, saying, by pulling down somewhat and having the intense phase of the war over in Gaza, it allows the military to

pivot its focus to what is happening on the northern border.

Now, another interesting point we did hear from Netanyahu in this interview is that he says he is ready for a partial deal with Hamas when it comes to

the ceasefire hostage deal. But it also says that would bring back some of the hostages. And after the ceasefire, the war would resume as he has not

given up on the idea of completely eliminating the Hamas group.

Now, this is, on face value, counter to what the proposal is on the table at the moment, this three phase ceasefire hostage deal which the U.S. is

very much behind. We have heard criticism and condemnation from hostage families, saying it's not good enough to say you'll have some of the

hostages come home. And it's also inevitably been criticized by Hamas. They say it makes it clear that Netanyahu is rejecting both the U.N. Security

Council resolution, calling for a ceasefire, and also rejecting what President Biden has very publicly endorsed, which is the deal on the table

at this point.

[10:05:00]

GIOKOS: Right. Lots to discuss there. Natasha, standing by for us at the Pentagon, as Paula says, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in

Washington. Very vital conversations as to things playing out here, the relationship with the United States, and clearly, the mixed messaging we've

been seeing from Israel and the U.S.

What kind of support does Yoav Gallant need right now, on the back of what we just heard from Prime Minister Netanyahu?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONNDENT: Yes. Well, Yoav Gallant, he is scheduled to come here to the Pentagon tomorrow. And what we

expect the discussions to really focus on are, of course, the next phase of the war. But, you know, it is very telling that Gallant was invited here to

Washington, and that the White House, just yesterday, put out a statement saying that they look forward to constructive discussions with Yoav

Gallant, really directly contrasting that with the comments that Prime Minister Netanyahu has been making over the last week about how the U.S.

has been withholding weapons and other military supplies to the Israelis.

Again, reiterating the White House did that they have no idea really what he is referring to. And so, they view Gallant here as kind of the grown up

that they can have these conversations with, and hopefully, get to a point where they try to dissuade the Israelis from doing anything. Rash when it

comes to Lebanon, doing anything very dramatic in terms of a possible incursion into southern Lebanon to push Hezbollah back. Something we

reported last week, is something that the IDF is looking at and is making plans for.

And so, what we expect is, look, the U.S. is going to reiterate to the Israelis to Gallant that they support Israel, and they will support Israel

if they do decide to engage in this new phase of the war in the north. But they are still trying to come to this kind of diplomatic solution here,

which is why go onto already has met with the U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein, who has been in charge of trying to find a diplomatic solution between the

Israelis and Hezbollah.

So that another front in this war one that would be much larger than the one we saw between Israel and Hamas potentially, actually breaks out here.

And so, we expect him to, you know, have these discussions about a possible transition phase as well, inside Gaza is something that Gallant has been

pushing for, and one that does not involve the Israeli military. But that is something that Netanyahu, again, has not yet agreed to.

And so, it's going to be interesting to see how the discussions with Gallant kind of stand in contrast to the administration's relationship,

right now with Netanyahu in terms of being, it seems, a kind of more positive relationship overall, something they see they can actually, you

know, influence potentially the Israelis behavior moving forward.

GIOKOS: So, Natasha, I mean, interestingly, last week, Israel approved operational plans for potential offensive into Lebanon. And a lot of the

questions now about whether the U.S. is rubber stamping, sort of this next phase of war, whether another front will open and whether it will be with -

- within Lebanon, fighting Hezbollah.

What is the sense there? What are you hearing on the ground about the U.S. -- U.S.'s ultimate support for that scenario?

BERTRAND: Well, what we are hearing is that the U.S. is not going to withhold any defensive weapons from the Israelis, if they do end up going

to war with Hezbollah. And in fact, U.S. officials did reiterate to an Israeli delegation that was here in Washington last week that they will

stand by their ally, Israel, in the event of such a war breaking out. But at the same time, you have this really frenetic diplomatic effort going on

behind the scenes to try to find a diplomatic solution to this.

Because the U.S. has warned Israel, look, you know, we don't -- we think that you can probably go -- you know, you have what you need to fight

Hezbollah. But it is not wise, because this is going to create a new war, a new conflict that is going to be much broader, you are not going to going

to be able to keep it limited and quick in the way that you might want to.

And so, we see this advice behind the scenes, but publicly, of course, they're saying they're going to stand behind their ally, while at the same

time, really working hard to try to prevent yet another war with devastating consequences potentially, from breaking out there, Eleni.

GIOKOS: All right. Natasha Bertrand, Paula Hancocks, thank you. Good to see you both.

Now, the latest on Israel's northern fronts and the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah. The E.U.'s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, saying today, "We are on

the eve of the war expanding."

Ben Wedeman is back with us. He is live in Beirut. Ben, we've just heard Natasha's talking about whether the U.S. would support another front

opening and of course, the concern about the spilling over into a wider conflict and whether it can be quick and contained. The question now is

what are people feeling in Lebanon right now with this prospect this potential of war coming to their doorstep?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, people here are very concerned. Keep in mind, this is the time of year when many Lebanese

who live abroad come back for the summer. So, the expectation was it would be a good year.

[10:10:02]

But now, we are hearing that there are increasingly cancelations people are very concerned when they hear the United States say that they will fully

support Israel if it comes to a war with Hezbollah. Now, we were down south along the border over the last few days. And what we saw was a combination

of trepidation, fear and defiance.

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WEDEMAN (voice over): It's a day of joy and celebration here in South Lebanon.

WEDEMAN: Israeli forces are just about five miles away from here. But nonetheless, here in the town of Hasbaya, there is a wedding going on.

WEDEMAN (voice over): It didn't seem right to spoil a special day for newlyweds Taymor (PH) and Fabian (PH), with questions about the dark clouds

covering over Lebanon. But, one guest told us off camera, we're celebrating here, while war is around the corner.

Hasbaya has been spared the worst of the barrages and counter-barrages between Israel and Hezbollah. Here, they stop anyone from firing towards

Israel.

Parliament member, Elias Jarade was elected to represent Christians in this area.

ELIAS JARADE, MEMBER, LEBANESE PARLIAMENT: The majority of the southern people, a majority of the Lebanese people from all sects or religions, all

parties, they are, in one way or another, they are committed with the Palestinian.

WEDEMAN (voice over): Everyone we spoke with had a completely contrary opinion. Few people wanted to speak on camera about the looming danger of

war for fear of repercussions. Off camera, we got an earful. There is zero appetite for escalation, little support for Hezbollah.

85- year-old Abu Nabil (PH) has seen it all, war and Civil War, invasions and occupation.

War is ruination, he says. In war, everyone loses, even the winner. Abu Nabil knows of what he speaks.

WEDEMAN: Since October, Israel and Hezbollah and its allies have been engaged in low-intensity warfare, largely limited to the border. If full-

scale war breaks out, that war will spread well beyond the frontier on both sides.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): Last week, Israeli generals approved a plan to attack Lebanon, while Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah recently warned, if it

comes to war, the group will fight Israel on land, sea and air, and also inside Israel itself.

The Iranian-backed group's sophisticated attacks have surprised Israeli officials, including precision strikes on surveillance posts on the border,

shooting down high-flying Israeli drones and knocking out anti-missile and anti- drone defenses, and posting online more than nine minutes of what it

claimed was drone footage of sensitive military and civilian infrastructure in and around the city of Haifa.

The bell summons the faithful to mass in the predominantly Christian town of Marjayoun. More than 90,000 people have already left the south for safer

ground.

Aman (PH) says she is determined to stay but adds, if things escalate to war and it reaches here like it did before with some shelling, of course,

like others, we'll have to leave. For now, they can only pray for peace and hope. Those prayers are heard.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN (on camera): And what we are seeing is sort of the same kind of signs of trouble to come that were very apparent. Last October here in

Lebanon when there were fears back then of a full-scale war, we have seen Sweden, Kuwait, and North Macedonia, urging all their citizens in Lebanon

to leave immediately, and others who are planning to come not to come now.

Now, we haven't, for instance, seeing the cancellation of flights. Back in October, the national carrier Middle East Airlines moved many of its planes

outside of the country for fear. They could be struck in the event of an Israeli bombing of the airport here but gradually we're seeing the tensions

going back to the levels they were back in November and October, and November. Eleni?

GIOKOS: Yes. Ben Wedeman, thanks for that.

All right. So, the death toll is rising from a string of terror attacks Sunday in Russia's southern Dagestan province. Authorities there say, at

least, 20 people are dead after gunman opened fire on synagogues and churches in two cities as well as the police traffic stop.

[10:15:08]

It comes just a month after a devastating terror attack near Moscow claimed by the ISIS affiliate ISIS-K. Now, praise has emerged on a telegram channel

used by that group, but so far, has been no claim of responsibility.

CNN\s Claire Sebastian has reported extensively from Russia. And she is following developments from London for us.

Claire, obviously, an investigation into what authorities are saying was clearly a coordinated attack to churches, to synagogues, to separate

cities, and a lot of questions about the ability for the Russian government to intercept these kinds of attacks and the planning of these attacks.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think that's the key question that's coming out of this. Certainly, for the Russian people in any is how

did this happen again, just to -- just three months rather, after the deadliest terror attack that Russia had seen in two decades at the Crocus

City concert hall in Moscow.

Now, look, we don't, as you say, have a claim of responsibility as of yet, unlike what happened with that attack in Moscow where ISI-K came out pretty

quickly after it had happened and claimed responsibility.

Now, all we have, as you say, is this sort of note of praise from the Russian language telegram channel used by ISIS-K, where they say our

brothers from the Caucasus showed that they are still strong.

This is some way off an actual claim of responsibility. So, there are still a lot of questions surrounding who could have been behind what the

authorities say a coordinated attack. So, they are still piecing together what happened, but here is what we know so far, about how it unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEBASTIAN (voice over): Shattering the calm of a summer evening. Russian authorities say these were coordinated attacks simultaneously targeting

both Dagestan's capital Makhachkala, and Derbent, an ancient city more than 100 kilometers away. Their attack is fired on this synagogue just 40

minutes before evening prayers, says the Russian Jewish Congress, setting it on fire.

As police confronted attackers, 19 people locked themselves in this church in Makhachkala, according to state media. They were later brought to

safety. Around 6:00 or 10:00 past 6:00, they were already shooting heavily, says this eyewitness speaking to Russian state T.V. They killed, Armisha

(PH), our security guard.

YUSUP UMAVOV, MAYOR OF MAKHACHKALA, RUSSIA (through translator): The relevant services and law enforcement agencies worked quickly, but

unfortunately, there were losses. We offer our sincere condolences to the families and friends whose sons and brothers died today.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Most of the casualties, police officers, but gruesome details emerged about the murder of an orthodox priest in Derbent,

attackers cutting his throat, according to one local official.

The head of the predominantly Muslim Republic said this was an attempt to destabilize the region, hinting at foreign influence.

SERGI MELIKOV, GOVERNOR OF DAGESTAN (through translator): Further operative search and investigative measures will be carried out until all

participants of the sleeper cells are identified, which undoubtedly include some that were organized from abroad.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): The attack, which Russia is investigating as terrorism, comes just three months after the deadliest terror attack in

Russia in two decades, more than 140 people killed at a Moscow concert hall. Russia's President then laid the blame on the West and Ukraine,

despite a claim of responsibility from ISIS-K, the Islamic state's regional branch in Afghanistan.

Ethnic tensions also a key focus in Dagestan, a region with an ancient Jewish population. In late October, an anti-Jewish mob stormed the main

airport in Dagestan's capital as a flight landed from Tel Aviv. This latest attack raising more serious security questions. Russia, already at war in

Ukraine, facing growing threats at home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SEBASTIAN (on camera): Well, again, Eleni, there is no official claim from any specific group of responsibility for this attack. But we do know that

Dagestan is a region with a long history of Islamic insurgency, one that Putin had promised to crack down on when he first came to power.

In 2000, there was even a connection to the Crocus City Hall attack in Moscow. In March, a few weeks later, the FSB claimed to have disrupted a

terrorist cell in Dagestan, which they say, had armed and funded the perpetrators of the Crocus City Hall attack.

There's also of course in 2013, the connection to the Boston Marathon bombers in the United States. So, look, this is obviously a shock to the

Russian people coming so soon after another major terror attack that it is in a region that is no stranger to violence.

GIOKOS: Claire Sebastian for us today. Thank you.

Coming up. Judge Aileen Cannon is back on the bench in Donald Trump's classified documents case. Will Trump be placed under a gag order? Will the

case be thrown out?

[10:19:58]

We are live from Florida, right after the short break.

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[10:22:15]

GIOKOS: It is exactly two years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade, ending the federal right to abortion in America. Since the ruling,

14 states have established near or total bans on abortion. As pro-choice advocates gathered to mark the moment. They are also pushing for labor

unions to defend reproductive rights, even as the Court is set to rule in another abortion-related case that deals with medical emergency exceptions

to state abortion laws.

Well, let's get you up to speed on some of the stories that are on our radar right now.

A royal source tells CNN, Britain's Princess Anne sustained minor head injuries at the Gatcombe Park estates in western England on Sunday.

Buckingham Palace says the 73-year-old is expected to make a full recovery but was taken to hospital for observation after being concussed.

It's not saying exactly what happened, but the source tells CNN her injuries are consistent with being hit by a horse's leg or head.

A fire at a lithium battery factory in South Korea has killed at least 22 people. The fire broke out in mid-morning, southwest of Seoul. And

officials say most of those who died were Chinese nationals. At least two of the survivors are being treated for serious burns.

Finger pointing and unanswered questions after 1,300 people died during this year's Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Authorities are blaming a

combination of extreme heat and what they call unauthorized trips.

Some witnesses are pointing to the Saudi government saying there was poor organization and infrastructure.

21,000 children missing in Gaza. That is the sobering number announced today by the humanitarian group Save the Children. It says at least 17,000

Children are believed to be unaccompanied and separated from their families, and 4,000 more or more are likely missing, under rubble or even

buried in mass graves.

It also says an unknown number of children have been detained and transferred out of Gaza. Their whereabouts, unknown.

Now, throughout the war, we have seen stark examples of families decimated by the fighting. Earlier this year, CNN investigated an Israeli strike that

killed half of a young woman's family in Gaza, and left her with life changing injuries.

Jomana Karadsheh was part of that investigation, and is now met with that 18-year-old woman who says she blames both Hamas and Israel for what

happened. Jomana has a story and a warning, some of the images in her report are graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): War is forever imprinted on Roba's (PH) face, even he are in the safety of Qatar

far from the conflict, she avoids people and going out.

[10:25:05]

Still haunted by what she survived.

This scene of carnage, it was a horror we uncovered earlier this year, the Israeli military attack this warehouse in central Gaza, where Roba (PH) and

her family were sheltering. When our cameraman met her in the hospital in January, she was seriously injured and in shock, struggling to tell her

story.

ROBA ABU JIBBA, SURVIVOR OF ISRAELI ATTACK IN GAZA (text): They are all gone. I have no one left.

KARADSHEH (voice over): She would become the heart of a CNN investigation, and example documenting how Israel's conducting the war in Gaza, revealing

how indiscriminate Israeli fire killed displaced civilians, including half of Roba's family.

But with access to Gaza restricted, we never met Roba in person, until this spring.

ABU JIBBA (text): (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE), Roba?

ABU JIBBA (text): (INAUDIBLE)

KARADSHEH (voice over): Following our report, the Qatari government flew her on this military transport plane to Doha for treatment.

ABU JIBBA (text): For my mother and my remaining siblings, I tell them, I'm fine, thank God. There is nothing wrong with me. And I am strong.

KARADSHEH: She and her family went through the unimaginable in that Gaza warehouse. They taken refuge there in November, following Israel's

directive to evacuate south. Residents said that in the early hours of January 4th, they heard what they called resistance fire in the area that

were denied there were militants who were civilians were sheltering. The Israeli military told us that after coming under fire from the warehouse,

they carried out a, "precise strike".

Experts told us that strike was likely a massive 2,000-pound bomb dropped with no prior warning to Roba's family and other civilians. Roba was

trapped for days, bleeding, surrounded by the lifeless bodies of her five siblings, the youngest was 10-year-old Azane (PH).

ABU JIBBA (text): I blame the people, and Hamas, and this situation. Because we were living normally inn the warehouse for a month. If it were

not for those who fired the mortar, the incident wouldn't have happened. We didn't even want to stay in the warehouse, but the bastards made us stay

there. I blame them for killing the children. They spared no one.

KARADSHEH (voice over): The ones outgoing 19-year-old has been left shattered inside and out. Still grappling with seemingly endless pain and

loss not just her family, even the new love she found.

ABU JIBBA (text): After losing my family, my five dear siblings, I found someone to fill that void. Then, I lost him too. We were going to get

married. He was killed. He supported me and stood by me. He was killed seven days before I came here.

KARADSHEH (voice over): That young man, Muhammad (PH) she says, was out looking for firewood from he was killed in an Israeli strike.

ABU JIBBA (text): People would say, how could you marry her, she was injured in her eye and body? He would say, I don't care about her body. I

care about what's in her heart.

KARADSHEH: But it is her body the physical scars that are constant reminder of that horrific night. Roba came to Qatar, hoping for a prosthetic eye, a

shroud for her anguish.

ABU JIBBA (text): I want my face to look like it did before, when I was normal. I know it would be a big difference. I won't see again with that

eye, but at least it would look the same.

KARADSHEH (voice over): We joined her for this doctor's appointment. She was expecting to get a date for the surgery. But instead, it was crushing

news. The doctor tells Roba and her aunt, the reconstructive surgery is not available in Qatar. Slowly, the bad news begins to sink in.

ABU JIBBA (text): I've had enough. I've had enough.

KARADSHEH (voice over): She can barely stand. No words can comfort her. She tries to shield herself as she likely did that night Reliving the trauma,

reliving a nightmare that just won't end.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Doha.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: Next on CONNECT THE WORLD, a deadly weekend of violence in the United States. More of that -- the more than a dozen mass shootings,

including one that took place in a grocery store. We'll give you an update right after the short break. Stay with CNN.

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[10:32:32]

GIOKOS: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD with me Eleni Giokos. Happening right now, Judge Aileen Cannon is in a Florida courtroom for back-to-back

hearings related to Donald Trump's classified documents case. On the agenda is Trump's new motion to dismiss the case. Trump's lawyers arguing that

Special Counsel Jack Smith's office was illegally funded, then Smith will make his case for Trump to get a gag order.

CNN's Evan Perez joins us now from Florida with more. Evan, good to see you. A lot happening. Could you give me a sense of what we can expect

today? And also give us a little bit of a sense of why Judge Canon has been criticized for slow walking this case.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, at any part of the problem for the special counsel who filed this case, they indicted Donald

Trump last summer has been just the slow pace of the judge even considering every single request that has been made. And in the case of the former

president, you know, they have piled on a lot of motions seeking to dismiss or to try to delay this case.

And so far, they're getting their way. We are right now in the middle of a three-day hearing -- three days of hearings. And today is like part two of

one that began on Friday, where the former -- where the former president is arguing that Jack Smith, the special counsel was illegally appointed. That

was all day on Friday. And today they're arguing about the funding. They're saying that the funding that fuels this investigation against the former

president, all of that is illegal.

Now, these are long shot requests by Donald Trump. But the fact that the Judge Cannon has even scheduled hearings on him really means it's going to

eat up more time on the calendar. We don't anticipate that she'll rule any of this on the on the from the bench, so we will have to wait a few days to

hear from her. But this afternoon, for instance, we're going to hear the arguments for a gag order.

The criticism from the -- from the special counsel and the requests from the special counsel is that Donald Trump has been using very strong and

charged rhetoric to criticize the search of Mar-a-Lago back in 2022. They say that it doesn't dangering the ability to get a fair trial in this

jurisdiction. They're also saying that they -- that it is endangering possible witnesses. These are the federal agents that did the search back

in 2022.

That hearing is set to go on this afternoon. And then tomorrow we have a continuation of the former president's efforts to toss out some of the

evidence from on that search.

[10:35:00]

That is reason why you see so much criticism of her because everything is taking so much time.

GIOKOS: Yes. Evan Perez, great to have you on the story. Thank you for that update. Now, across the United States, it was a deadly weekend of violence

with at least 14 mass shootings reported. We're getting word that the worst was in Fordyce, Arkansas where a man is accused of opening fire in a

grocery store, killing four people and wounded nine.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there were 13 more mass shootings in the United States this weekend alone bringing the total for this year to

247. The group defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people are shot or killed in a single event. I want to bring in soon as Carlos

Suarez to give us an update on what we saw not only this past weekend, but frankly, the harrowing number that we're seeing for the year to date.

Also just think about this grocery store incidents in Arkansas thinking about the people that were impacted, going to a grocery store doing just

normal admin and then coming to terms with this reality of their lives being in danger and also some people losing their lives. Hard to fathom.

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is. And it's also a bit difficult to try to keep track of all of these mass shootings across the U.S. As you

noted that first of all, a mass shooting happened in Arkansas on Friday. A 23-year-old was among the dead there. Now authorities said that she was

killed as she tried to help another victim inside of that grocery store. She was identified as a Callie Weems.

Now according to a GoFundMe that was set up by family and friends, Callie leaves behind a 10-month-old daughter. According to her family, she loved

her child very much and that everyone saw her being a "phenomenal mom." The second person that was killed on Friday was 62-year-old Shirley Kay Taylor.

Her daughter Angela said that she was the hardest working woman she knew and that she was a great person.

A 50-year-old Roy Sturgis. You see his photo there as well. He also died in the shooting. We're told that he leaves behind a daughter and two sisters.

And then 81-year-old Ellen Shrum was the oldest victim on Friday. According to her family, Ellen actually worked as a cashier for a few months at the

very store where this shooting happened.

Now in Montgomery, Alabama, a shooting early Sunday morning there left 13 people injured. Nine in all were shot in that incident. Authorities said

that they recover -- get this, over 350 spent shell casings. The incident we're told began as a party that grew out of control and spilled out onto

some streets there.

In Ohio, there was another mass shooting that left 10 people injured in Columbus, that is southwest of Cleveland. Now authorities there said that

all of the victims were men and that two were teenagers. A suspect in connection with that shooting later turned himself into

authorities.

And then finally in St. Louis, Missouri in an early morning shooting also on Sunday left one person dead and five others injured. Authorities that

said that the incident was a result of a fight. Here now is an official with the city's police department there on just the spate of gun violence

across the U.S. this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITCH MCCOY, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, ST. LOUIS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: I think that this continues to prove that there's a conflict

resolution issue in this city and in many major cities across the area, across the country. And we have to figure out how we can resolve problems

without guns.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SUAREZ: All right. So, two police officers were hurt in that shooting in Arkansas on Friday. Both of them are expected to be OK. As for the gunman

in that shooting, the 44-year-old was taken into custody and he is expected in court later today.

GIOKOS: Carlos Suarez, thank you so much for that update. All right. We're going to a very short break. I'll be back with more CONNECT THE WORLD right

after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:41:17]

GIOKOS: The stakes are high as you as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump

prepare for Thursday's CNN debate. It is a historic event the first time is sitting U.S. presidents and a former president face off. Biden's campaign

says the President spent the weekend hunkered down at Camp David for intense preparation and held mock debate sessions.

Trump has taken perhaps a different approach by holding informal briefing sessions with his allies and has kept up an active campaign schedule. CNN's

Kevin Liptak is focusing on Biden's campaign and debate prep. And we've got Alayna Treene covering Trump's campaign for us. Good to see you both. I can

imagine both of these men working really hard to figure out their strategies, their messaging, and of course, how they will respond to some

of the hot button issues. Kevin, let's start with you.

What is Biden's campaign going to be focusing on right now? I guess one of the big things is just to know how to deal with Donald Trump and perhaps

some of the attacks that he might encounter.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And I think that's always one of the big questions when you're getting on a debate stage with Donald

Trump is which version of Trump shows up? Is it the pugilistic, interrupting, yelling Trump or is it a more restrained more presidential

Donald Trump who shows up on the debate stage? And that, according to Biden advisors is something that they're trying to prepare for in these extensive

debate preparations that he is holding at Camp David that is trying to be ready for whatever version of the candidate shows up.

Now, Biden is now on day four of his debate prep camp out at Camp David in Western Maryland. And I think it's no secret why the President is spending

the better part of a week in preparation sessions. They realize, his campaign realizes that they really cannot afford an underwhelming

performance on that debate stage. And they know that any sort of slip up, a mental slip up or a verbal slip up will only be amplified underneath those

debate stage lights.

We did get a glimpse I think of the campaign's strategy heading into this week where they put out a pretty lengthy memo yesterday. And it does lay

out three specific areas that I think President Biden is going to want to focus on. One of them is on abortion. And that's not necessarily a

surprise. This is one of the most galvanizing issues for Democrats this election year.

And President Biden really wants to lay the repeal of Roe versus Wade right at Donald Trump's feet. The other is the idea of democracy and the

necessity of protecting democracy. And certainly, this has been an underpinning of President Biden's entire campaign. And then the third is

the economy. Obviously, this is the top issue for many voters. In some ways. It's the one that President Biden is most vulnerable on because so

many Americans are dissatisfied with the state of the economy, despite what is otherwise a robust economic recovery, but it is certainly something that he will want

to talk about at this debate.

And so, what he's doing at camp, David, I think is crystallizing his answers, sharpening his responses on these three items, all in preparation

for Thursday.

GIOKOS: All right. Alayna is standing by to give us a sense of the Trump campaign methodology. What do you know?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, Donald Trump is preparing in a far different way than Joe Biden and his campaign. You just heard from Kevin

that Joe Biden is hunkering down at Camp David. We are not seeing that type of, you know, hunkering down from Donald Trump and his own campaign.

Instead, he actually kept up a pretty aggressive campaign schedule. Over the weekend he travelled to both Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia for

political events.

He has a fundraiser today. And look, that's part of what the Trump campaign is trying to put out there and trying to message on there arguing that

Donald Trump does not need as much preparation for Joe Biden.

[10:45:04]

However, they do recognize that wow, Joe Biden is going through a very intensive bootcamp in the lead up to Thursday. And they really want to try

to manage expectations now around that.

And I find it really interesting and, in some ways, reach at points because for months now, Donald Trump, as well as his team have argued that Joe

Biden is a weak and feeble candidate, that he has issues with his mental and physical acuity. Now you're hearing them sing a different tune. What

they're trying to argue is that actually, Biden is going to be a different version of himself on Thursday.

They've falsely or baselessly claimed that Joe Biden is taking performance enhancing drugs. All of this really trying to raise the bar for what to

expect and manage those expectations for when the two men face off on the debate stage only. Eleni?

GIOKOS: All right. Alayna Treene and Kevin Liptak, thank you. I want you to put this in your diary. Tune in for that presidential debate right here on

CNN on June 27th, 9:00 p.m. Eastern. I checked it's 5:00 a.m. if you're in Abu Dhabi. So, yes, it's a good one to tune in to. All right. We're going

to a short break. I'll be right back. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GIOKOS: Welcome back. So, one of the perks of this incredible job is working with people from different generations at any given day. I'll go on

a shoot with my millennial producer and the Gen X camera woman on a story that was researched by my Gen Z intern. Now I'll leave it to you to guess

which generation I belong to. You can tweet me on your answers. This kind of intergenerational collaboration is key to problem solving.

That's according to a new study released today by the We Are Family Foundation of nearly 1000 people surveyed. Almost all believe that

intergenerational collaboration can generate positive change. 87 percent see potential in youth solutions for global challenges but only 19 percent

think youth are given enough opportunities to contribute. And as our Becky Anderson found out in New York, we are family foundation set up by music

legend Nile Rodgers is working to close that gap.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNEHA REVANUR, FOUNDER, ENCODE JUSTICE: When it comes to A.I., there are so many unsolved scientific questions and it's important for us as young

people to approach that with humility.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): At just 19 years old, Sneha Revanur is the youngest of times 100 Most Influential People in

Artificial Intelligence. She is the founder of Encode Justice, a global collective for more than 1000 youngsters who are fighting for a future

where A.I. is safe and equitable.

RENAVUR: Currently a building without guardrails.

ANDERSON (voice-over): This year, Revanur was able to take her ideas to the World Economic Forum. Through the support of the We Are Family Foundation.

From the knowledge and network that she gained Encode Justice's A.I. 2030 Action Plan was born.

REVANUR: Now we've built this coalition of experts and leaders and public figures who are standing alongside us as young people in partnership with

thousands of young people, you know, university clubs and youth groups who have signed on to this joint intergenerational call for global A.I. action.

[10:50:00]

ANDERSON (voice-over): Revanur is one of many ambitious young leaders backed by the We Are Family Foundation. A nonprofit founded by the music

legend legend Nile Rodgers which is dedicated to nurturing young talent and promoting diversity.

A.I. ethicist, Neha Shukla. Agriculturalist, Jefferson Kang'acha. And environmentalist Russell Reed, all trying to solve some of the biggest

issues of our time.

ANDERSON (on camera): You all believe that you need a seat at the table? Why?

RUSSELL REED, WAFF YOUTH DELEGATE: As young people who are stakeholders in the climate crisis and a planet that's on fire, this is emotional work. And

so, what I realized is that a lot of the power, a lot of what we bring is young people bringing solutions to the table working on this every day is

that we won't separate the professional and emotional dimensions of our work. And I'm not willing to, you know, leave my emotions at the table to

get a point across. It's part of the point.

ANDERSON (on camera): What's been your experience?

NEHA SHUKLA, WAFF YOUTH DELEGATE: I think, young people bring this sense of hopeful urgency. I mean, despite young people growing up in this world,

seeing climate change wars, pandemics and A.I. disinformation we're still incredibly hopeful and kind of filled with a sense of urgency to take

action.

JEFFERSON KANG'ACHA, WAFF YOUTH DELEGATE: Absolutely. I think one of the greatest power we have as young generation is in how we gather, is in how

we get to build community. And that community can be supported by having amazing collaborators give us the opportunity to stand on their shoulders.

And that was my opportunity at the United Nations Conference on climate change.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Listening to these young leaders gives you hope for the future. But to truly understand this story, you need to go back. Back

to New York in the 1970s. A disco anthem, diversity, acceptance and optimism. Nile Rodgers began writing We are Family when he was just 16

years old. It was first recorded by Rodgers and Sister Sledge in 1979. At the power station, where I met him.

NILE RODGERS, COFOUNDER, WE ARE FAMILY FOUNDATION: I was really young, and I just happened to run into people who were a bit older than me who saw my

potential. And then when I got a record deal, this was sort of the beginning of the word disco becoming popular. It's a great example of

working with intergenerational youth because I certainly was youth fall.

ANDERSON (voice-over): The hit song took on a new meaning in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here we go, here we go.

ANDERSON (voice-over): When Rodgers brought together more than 200 people from diverse backgrounds in the community to rerecord it.

ANDERSON (on camera): I just want you to describe how you felt that day, sort of late September 2001, as you got everybody together because this

must have been partly a healing process for you as well as, you know, an opportunity to provide some healing for us.

RODGERS: We didn't have just stars. We had firefighters, we had triage workers, we had people

from all walks of life, we had, you know, sports people, we had recognizable figures but

we also have people from the community who were doing work. All those people those

200 plus people said that this recording studio felt like the safest place on Earth. Nobody wanted to leave.

They all just stayed here and imagine I come from an anti-establishment background. You know, never trust anyone over 30 years old. That kind of,

you know, all the typical hippie slogans. Meanwhile, the police are hugging us. The firefighters are hugging us. They're loving us. It was incredible.

ANDERSON (on camera): Fast forward 20 years and the work you are doing is about putting youngsters at the heart of discussions.

RODGERS: Yes.

ANDERSON (on camera): Getting youngsters a voice in the narrative. A seat at the table. Just

explained to me why that is so important to you.

[10:55:12]

RODGERS: Let's be very clear, not youngsters simply because they're young, youngsters who are motivated, who are driven, youngsters that very much

like myself who believe in this optimistic future. And if they put in the work and people see them doing the work, all of a sudden, even if you think

that you disagree with them, you see that they come up with results. That's the kind of youth we're talking about.

It's those people with those big hearts with those incredible vision of a future that could be better than the reality that we're living in now.

ANDERSON (voice-over): German software giant SAP has started putting these leaders on its advisory boards.

PETER SELFRIDGE, GLOBAL HEAD, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, SAP: We have commitments to hire more young people and to bring them into more of these boards and

these other important positions to advise our leaders.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Proof that with the right support, young people can define their own futures and ours.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: Beautiful story. Stay with CNN. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END