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Protests Against Trump's ICE Raids Escalate Across U.S.; Huckabee: "No Room" for Two-State Solution; Police Report Bombings, Shootings in Southwest Colombia; Trump: Agreement Includes "Full Magnets", "Any Necessary Rare Earths" And "Chinese Students Using Our Colleges"; Underwater Coins Suggests Sunken Ship is Long-Lost Galleon. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired June 11, 2025 - 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)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: These are live pictures of the White House. President Trump's Commerce Secretary says the U.S. and China

have worked out a plan to ease tensions over tariffs. It's 09:00 a.m. in Atlanta. I'm Lynda Kinkade. This is "Connect the World". Great to have you

with us.

Also coming up dramatic scenes overnight with protests against deportation rates popping up around the United States. In California, the governor is

accusing Donald Trump of stoking the chaos for political gain. And police in Austria looking for answers after one of the worst shootings in the

country's history.

As we begin this hour, an overnight curfew has just been lifted in a 2.5 square kilometer section of Downtown Los Angeles, after yet another night

of protests and what police are calling mass arrests. Demonstrations over the Trump Administration's immigration rates have spread to New York,

Chicago and other major cities across the U.S.

All happening as President Trump doubles the number of National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles to 4000. Setting off a verbal battle with

California Governor Gavin Newsom, who says democracy is under assault.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): For no longer any checks and balances, Congress is nowhere to be found. Speaker Johnson has completely abdicated that

responsibility. The rule of law has increasingly been given way to the rule of dawn.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, California is suing President Trump and the Defense Department to stop the National Guard deployment. A judge denied a request

for immediate action and has set a hearing for Thursday. Lot to discuss here with CNN Law Enforcement Analyst Jonathan Wackrow, he was a secret

service agent for president -- Former President Barack Obama. Good to have you with us.

JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Hey, good morning. How are you?

KINKADE: Really well, so when you look at the scattered protests, the curfew, the response by state and local police plus the military, what's

your assessment of the situation right now?

WACKROW: Well, listen, you know, law enforcement in their response to protest demonstrations in an extreme situation, civil unrest, is really

about balance and proportionality, and law enforcement is going to react to the tone and tenor of the groups that they're facing.

So, as things escalate, law enforcement needs to escalate their own tactics and strategy. So, what you're seeing is that the curfews that were put into

place in Los Angeles. These are just a tactical tool that are used under the city's emergency powers to restore order.

And the Los Angeles Police Department is using the time that is allowed with the curfew to really shift their operations from what we've seen over

the past four days, which is really passive monitoring of the protests, in responding to isolated acts of civil unrest, to really proactive

enforcement.

What they're trying to do is separate those who are peaceful protesters from those violent agitators that we have seen causing property destruction

in this isolated area of Los Angeles. So again, this is just a tool that's being used by law enforcement. Is a broad tactic that's used by law

enforcement agencies across the United States in response to escalating acts by large groups.

KINKADE: I want to show some pictures of a car that plowed through a protest that was unfolding in Chicago. I don't want to get your perception

-- your perspective, on the risk of escalation, the risk of potential injury, and how in law enforcement, do you manage something like this?

WACKROW: Well, when you're talking about like, what is the role of law enforcement when it comes to responding to protests, it really is two

things. One, you have to protect the First Amendment constitutional rights of those who are engaging in protest. But at the same time, you need to

maintain civil order, and that, again, goes back to what I said it is -- there's a balance here of how do you manage those two priorities?

You have to make sure that those who are engaging in their constitutional rights are protected, and they're protected in multiple different ways from

opposing groups, but also from, you know, targeted acts of violence against those who are exercising those rights.

So, thinking about, how do you protect -- peaceful protesters from, you know, acts of violence like, you know, car ramming, or, you know, other

groups that are clashing with them.

[09:05:00]

Again, this is where protests in mass gatherings are a very dynamic situation for law enforcement to manage, and again, the balance and

proportionality that strategy that's deployed is a proven tactic, but it's hard to manage by local law enforcement.

KINKADE: There are now protests, not only in Los Angeles in New York, but we've seen them in San Francisco, in Dallas and Austin in Atlanta. And no

matter where you look at these protests, most of them are relatively small, relatively scattered, yet the cost to deploy the National Guard

specifically to Los Angeles is enormous.

$134 million according to the Pentagon budget chief, for travel, for housing, for food. Just weigh up that hefty price tag for us and whether

that can be justified.

WACKROW: Yeah, Lynda, there's an important nuance here, and just the numbers that you laid out, those costs are from the Department of Defense

in associated with the mobilization and federalization of the National Guard that doesn't take into account what you have ongoing in Los Angeles

and across the country, which is local law enforcement.

You know, police entities, they are the ones that are out there trying to maintain the civil order. They are the ones that are engaging with the

protests. They are the ones that are trying to do two things at the same time, address these protests in isolated acts of civil unrest, but they

also have a city to maintain.

They have to respond to calls for service in emergencies as well. So, you really have escalating costs whenever you have protests and you know,

demonstrations that are ongoing, and that burden is picked up by the local municipality. So, New York, Los Angeles, and in other areas around the

United States, the cost of the military mobilization that's really isolated to a small activity, but you see it is a significant number.

KINKADE: You know, the last time the National Guard was deployed without a governor's permission. Was back in 1965 when President Johnson sent troops

to protect a civil rights march in Alabama. We heard a very passionate speech by the Governor of California last night, who called this particular

case of the National Guard being deployed by President Trump as an assault on democracy, and saying that it is escalating tensions.

Do you believe that is the case when you look at some of the pitches, particularly that car that plowed through protesters in Chicago?

WACKROW: No, absolutely. And here's what's going on. This is what I assess. When I look at these protests that are just expanding across the country.

They're not in response to one single immigration enforcement event. What they are is they're being triggered by this broader and growing opposition

to two things.

One, the enhanced immigration actions that we're seeing, and two, this rising concern, whether it's justified or not, there is a concern that

there's this mobilization of the military in support of immigration policy. The challenge, though, is that local law enforcement, again, they are the

ones that are charged with maintaining the civil order, but they're not part of this immigration discussion.

So, what you now have is you've created this operational disconnect between the law enforcement who are trying to de-escalate the ongoing unrest, but

that is rooted, that unrest is really rooted in political actions that are way beyond their own jurisdiction. So, it's a very tough situation that

local law enforcement is being put in, as you see this back and forth between the federal government and the different states, namely California.

KINKADE: Donald Trump says, in regards to deploying the National Guard that we're not going to watch cities burn, quite inflammatory statements. In

terms of the protests that we're seeing play out. This will be the six nights, tonight, if they again happen. What would be your advice if you

were devising the president on a response to these protests? What would you say?

WACKROW: Well, I think that when, any time you have a critical event such as large-scale protests, mass demonstrations, coordination is key, in the

coordination between the federal government the state and local authorities is absolutely critical. And again, this goes back to having a unified

strategy, a unified system of control and coordination of how you're going to respond to these situations.

What we're seeing right now is this bifurcation between the federal government, you know the utilization of federal assets in the military, and

then on the other side, you have state and local assets. That is disjointed, and that actually causes a public safety hazard at the end of

the day.

[09:10:00]

So, if I was to advise the president, I would you know, advise to have more of a collaborative approach, mindful that you have competing political

views on what is going on, specific to immigration, but at the end of the day, this is about public safety and ensuring that the public remains safe,

that people are able to execute and engage in their constitutional rights and ensure that civil order is maintained, and that's only done in a

unified manner.

KINKADE: CNN Law Enforcement Analyst, Jonathan Wackrow, we appreciate your time today. Thanks so much.

WACKROW: Thanks Lynda.

KINKADE: Well Donald Trump has left the door open to reconciling with Elon Musk after the pair's explosive public feud last week. The Tesla boss has

since conceded that he went too far with some of his social media posts, which included allegations that the U.S. President is in the Jeffrey

Epstein files and that his big, beautiful bill is a disgusting, abundant combination.

Mr. Trump has told "The New York Post" podcast Pod Force One. He was, quote, not a happy camper after the remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I have no hard feelings. I was, really surprised that happened. He went after a bill.

That's phenomenal. It's the best thing we've ever signed in this country. I was disappointed in him.

MIRANDA DEVINE, NEW YORK POST COLUMNIST: Yeah.

TRUMP: But you know, it is what it is that happens. Things like that happen. I don't blame him for anything that, I was a little disappointed.

DEVINE: Did you reconcile? Did you reconcile with him? Do you think could you forgive him?

TRUMP: I guess I could. But you know, we have to straighten out the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: I want to turn now to Gaza and dozens of Palestinians were killed today as they tried to reach aid distribution sites in the northern part of

the enclave, according to hospital officials in the area. Eye witnesses say people were hit by gunfire from Israeli forces. Well CNN's Jerusalem Bureau

Chief Oren Liebermann joins us now for more.

So, Oren, Palestinians, including children hit with this gun fire that came by Israeli forces and local government. What more are you learning about

this incident?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Lynda, it's actually two separate incidents in which at least 31 Palestinians, including children,

were killed early Wednesday morning into Wednesday according to Palestinian officials and hospital officials.

Both happen on essentially either ends of what's known as the Netzarim corridor, which is a corridor in northern or central northern Gaza, which

the Israeli military controls. First on the eastern end of the Netzarim corridor Al-Awda Hospital officials say seven Palestinians were killed and

more than 100 injured as they approached an aid distribution site run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, early Wednesday morning.

And this is a scenario we have seen play out many, many times. Israel says before 08:00 a.m. it's a closed military zone. And yet, because of the

desperation and the hunger in Gaza, once, there's an indication that one of these aid sites is about to open, you see thousands, if not tens of

thousands of Palestinians approaching the site to try to take part in what is essentially a rush to get some of the aid that's available there.

And it looks like that's what may have happened here on Wednesday morning. The Israeli military says they fired what they call warning shots towards

suspects that were approaching an Israeli military position. They say they are looking into reports of casualties.

As for the second incident that happened on the western side of the Netzarim corridor at what's known as the Nabulsi roundabout, a major

roundabout with an Israeli military position there along the coastal road in Gaza. That's where Shifa Hospital officials say 24 Palestinians were

killed and dozens more injured when they came under fire.

Eyewitnesses say it was Israeli gunfire coming from different sources there, along the coastal road there. The Israeli military, meanwhile says

they're not aware of Israeli gunfire during the day. They are looking into reports of the incident. But it is this deadly search for aid, the attempt

to get the very little trickle of aid that's going into Gaza that is behind what we're seeing here once again, Lynda.

KINKADE: And Oren, I want to get some more detail from you about the statements we're hearing from the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, who says the

U.S. no longer fully endorses a two-state solution for Palestinians. This, of course, would signal a massive shift in state of policy from the U.S. Is

that an official statement?

LIEBERMANN: Well, certainly a statement from Ambassador Mike Huckabee, who, in the past, has made his positions very clear. Years ago, he said there's

no such thing as a Palestinian. He has advocated for and visited many times Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

So, his positions, especially as an evangelical Christian, are abundantly clear here. The question is, is he talking for himself, out of his own

opinion, or is he stating an official U.S. Trump Administration position that part a little less clear? And we'll have the State Department

spokeswoman on CNN later days will be able to clarify that.

[09:15:00]

But what he said in an interview with Bloomberg is, unless there are some significant things that change the culture, there's no room for it. It in

that case, being a two-state solution, which for decades has been the policy position of Democrat and Republican administration.

Certainly, Trump has moved at least somewhat away from that in talking about a Gaza Riviera that would be under U.S. control, but at least

recently, none of those comments have applied to the West Bank. Here, Huckabee is making clear that in his position, at least in his position,

there is no room for a Palestinian state in Gaza or the West Bank.

He suggested carving area or territory out of one of the surrounding Muslim countries to make room for a Palestinian state. So remarkable comments

indeed, coming from Huckabee.

KINKADE: Yeah, certainly. Oren Liebermann staying across it all for us from Jerusalem. Thanks so much. Well, there is shock and mourning in Austria,

where a gunman killed at least 10 people at a high school in the City of Graz on Tuesday. We'll have the latest on the police investigation next.

Plus, a wave of deadly explosions rocks southwest Columbia, who investigators believe is behind those attacks. We'll go live to Bogota,

coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: You're looking at a memorial service in Graz, Austria, has people there mourn one of the worst mass shootings in the country's history. At

least 10 people were shot dead when a gunman opened fire at a high school in Graz on Tuesday. The victims include teenagers between the ages of 15

and 17.

Authorities say the suspect is a 21-year-old Austrian man who took his own life at the scene. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen joins us now from Graz. And

Fred, this was the deadliest school shooting in the nation's recent history. Just talk to us about how the country is responding and the latest

on the police investigation.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Lynda -- of mourning and sadness, obviously, especially here in the City of Graz,

who, as you said, absolutely unprecedented for something like that to happen in a place like this, in Austria, and specifically in Graz. Speaker

that we've been speaking to say they're absolutely devastated.

I'm actually right in front of the school where all of this happened. You can see behind me there's a banner that in German says Graz stands

together, Graz Steht Zusammen in German with a sea of flowers growing there. And just in the time that we've been here in front of the school,

we've been seeing more and more people coming here, laying flowers, many of them, of course, also taking a moment to just reflect, some of them in

tears.

And if we look over there, that's actually the school where all of this took place. You can see that the police have put up a tarpaulin to sort of

block the view. There are still some police officers going in and out, just to show that, that investigation, obviously, is still very much going on

into what exactly happened and also the motives of the shooter as well.

[09:20:00]

We can also see, by the way, now that we're at it, that the President of Austria has now come here to the school as well, like -- He's now going

into that school, probably also to lay flowers there. This obviously is a devastating event for this entire country, but as you've noted, the

investigation is, of course, moving forward.

There's more that's known about the shooter who killed himself. There were two guns that were used, and but also, the police are saying that other

things were found in the apartment as well, including two apparent writings of him saying why exactly he did this. One of them actually a video. Let's

listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SABRI YORGUN, STYRIA POLICE: You're able to start the investigation immediately after the killing spree. In the meantime, we have also carried

out a house search at the home address of the 21-year-old suspect from the district of Graz and the surrounding area, and have been able to establish

that there was a suicide note, both in digital form, via video message and in handwritten form. We were also able to find and secure a pipe bomb,

albeit a non-functioning pipe bomb, at his home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: So, as you can see, there are two messages, apparently, one of them on video and a pipe bomb as well. Even though that was non-

functioning, seeming to show that possibly there was a degree of planning in all of this. However, the authorities, very importantly, are saying and

very careful to point out that they do not, at this point, yet, know what exactly the motive of the shooter was.

But of course, none of that relieving in any way, shape or form, the pain of this community, the pain of those who were affected. The police also

coming out and saying that now the folks who were wounded in this attack and none of them no longer in danger of losing their lives.

However, the police also confirming, Lynda, that of the 10 people who were killed by the shooter. Nine of them were children between the ages of 14

and 17, while a female teacher later succumbed to her wound. So again, this community definitely very much in grief, but also at the same time showing

very much that it wants to be resilient as well, Lynda.

KINKADE: Yeah -- so with that community. Frederik Pleitgen for us in Graz, Austria. Thank you. Well, prosecutors in Columbia are investigating a wave

of explosions that left seven people dead on Tuesday. Authorities say the attacks, which occurred in the southwest of the country were directed at

police. Two officers were among the victims.

More than 20 bombings and shootings were reported in the City of Cali and the surrounding provinces, including 28 people. Our Stefano Pozzebon joins

us now from Bogota for more on this. So, this violence in the South West, Stefano, certainly has turned deadly. What are authorities saying about who

they believe to be behind these attacks?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hey, there, Lynda, yes, the Colombian authorities are blaming the violence on Tuesday on the EMC, or Estado Mayor

Central. Now this is a rebel group, a criminal organization made of former -- who refused to lay down weapons in 2016, when the now esteemed

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, signed a peace deal with the Colombian state.

These groups did not sign that peace deal. They remain involved in narco- trafficking and in armed struggle. Now, these groups released a statement just hours after these attacks, blaming the failure of negotiations with

the government and declaring themselves at war with the Colombian state, however, they stopped short of claiming the responsibility.

We've reached out to them to know more about it. But I think that what really stands out is the scope of these wave of attacks. We're talking

about more than 20 episodes between car bombs, explosive devices, firearm attacks across the entire southwest of the country, and this really feels

like an attack against the stability of the whole nation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEJANDRO EDER, MAYOR OF CALI: As Mayor of Cali, our heart goes out to the more than 40 people in our city who have been affected by these terrorist

attacks, at least two people have been killed. But let me be clear, this is not an attack against Cali or our region. This is an attack against the

whole of Colombia. Violence is spreading all across the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: Two people killed in Cali, five more, at least five more across the Southwest. It really feels like the security situation is deteriorating

rapidly in this country, especially when you consider that just at the end of last week, on Saturday, a leading senator and a presidential candidate

was gunned down in an electoral event at an election rally here in the capital Bogota, Lynda.

KINKADE: I was going to ask you about that the presidential hope for hopeful shot, just what is the latest on his condition?

POZZEBON: Well, we actually have good news when it comes to the case of Miguel Uribe. That's the name of the senator, Lynda.

[09:25:00]

In a statement released just a couple of hours ago, the doctors at the hospital here in Bogota who are treating the senator are, for the first

time, talking about improvement. Let me read it to you. The best part, despite the severity of his critical condition, there are hints of a

neurological improvement as the edema has decreased.

Now, the senator has been hit at least twice by bullets, one of them, at least one of them in the head. So, we can understand the severity of the

injuries and how complicated the recovery will be. But it's a fact that for the first time, the medical team that are treating him at the intensive

care unit here at the Santa Fe Hospital in Bogota are, for the first time talking about an improvement.

And so, there is hope in Colombia that the Senator will make it will survive this attack, and perhaps it can bring a little bit of serenity for

the whole nation. Meanwhile, the perpetrator, the teenager who was caught firing the gun and hitting the senator, has been charged with attempted

murder, and he has declared himself not guilty, according to Colombian prosecutors, as of Tuesday evening, Lynda.

KINKADE: All right, good to have you finger crossed -- those developments for us. Stefano Pozzebon, thank you. Well, still to come U.S. and Chinese

officials say they sketched out a plan for improved trade relations, and now it's up to their two leaders to sign off on it.

Will it be enough to ratchet down the tensions between the world's two largest economies? We'll talk about that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade in Atlanta. You are watching "Connect the World". Good to have you with us. Our top headline today, a

curfew in Downtown Los Angeles has been lifted after a fifth night of protests against the Trump Administration's immigration rates.

Police report mass arrests overnight. Protests have spread to other major cities across the U.S. These tense moments in Chicago Tuesday night when a

car plowed through protesters appearing to clip some of them.

[09:30:00]

That is the opening bell. Wall Street, getting a look at brand new U.S. economic data out this hour. Prices ticked off by 1.1 percent in the month

of May, according to the consumer price index that nudged the annual inflation rate up to 2.4 percent from a four year low in April, but that

was lower than expected as the effects of President Trump's tariffs started to make themselves felt.

We're joined now by Betsey Stevenson. She's a Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of Michigan. She also served on President

Obama's Council of Economic Advisers. Good to have you with us.

BETSEY STEVENSON, PROFESSOR OF PUBLIC POLICY & ECONOMICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: Great to be with you today.

KINKADE: So, inflation inched upwards, still not really showing the tariff related increases for a third month in a row. Just explain the numbers for

us.

STEVENSON: Well, so absolutely, what we saw was in inflation that is sort of holding steady as to where it's been. And the primary driver in this

inflation report was housing, which is a big deal for a lot of Americans. It could be a little bit driven by the tariffs, but probably not.

We've been, you know, not really, you know, there's been a lot of pricing pressure on housing for a while. I would say the tariff and immigration

issues have not helped, because if we haven't been able to speed up the supply of housing, which is what will ultimately contain that price

pressure.

But I think the things people been expecting to see, like the price of clothing or other things where, you know, clothing we import about 97

percent of what we buy, and the price of clothing is continuing to fall. So, I think we can say quite sharply there that we're not seeing any tariff

impact on clothing prices right now.

And I think the ultimate question will be whether we do see it. There was a little bit. I one thing you know, you've heard President Trump say kids may

have to pay more for or parents may have to pay more for kid's toys, and kids may have to get fewer toys. And in fact, we saw toys up a whopping 1.3

percent this month.

If that were to continue for 12 months, that would bring the price of toys up about 15 percent. So that's the kind of thing we're looking for in this

report. Obviously, toys are such a small part of people's budgets that's not making a big dent, but it's the kind of thing that tariffs, if it

caused more broadly, would end up sparking inflation.

KINKADE: Yeah, exactly. And most severe tariffs still on pause. We have heard from top Fed officials and economists on Wall Street who think you

know the U.S. tariffs will cause prices to rise over summer, if indeed they do come into effect, especially in July. Do you agree?

STEVENSON: You know, I have said all along that I expect we're going to start to see more of the pinch of both the tariff and immigration policies

hitting this summer, June, July, August, probably really in July and August. It's sort of that back to school when parents do the back-to-school

shopping.

You know, if we're still seeing prices falling, then I would be shocked, because that's when I expect we're going to see prices going up.

KINKADE: Yeah, and we heard from Donald Trump today saying that the trade deal essentially is done with China. He is awaiting -- from President Xi.

Officials at the meeting, though, describe this more as a framework, from what you've read about it, what do you think about the progress and what's

included in it?

STEVENSON: Well, honestly, I'm just going to tell you, I'm a little baffled, and I think the American people should be as well, because as far

as I can tell, all they've done is gone back and agreed to where we were at the beginning. And you know, China held firm and said, look, we're not

giving you critical minerals, unless you roll back some of the things you tried to do to us, like excluding Chinese students from American

universities.

And so, we said, oh, OK. So now we're just sort of back to where we were. What was President Trump's goal? What was he trying to achieve through a

negotiation with China? I guess, can we just declare China the victor here? Because we didn't really get anything.

I don't know if we know the answer to that. I mean, what we got was the stuff they had taken away in response to President Trump.

KINKADE: Yeah, exactly. And the details still very light at this point in time. In terms of China's dominance of the rare earth supply chain, how

much leverage does that give them?

[09:35:00]

STEVENSON: Well, you know, I think it gives them some leverage. What I think is more important is they were able to look through everything that

they're doing and figure out, you know, what is the best point of leverage and then use it? You know, one of the things that's been surprising about

President Trump's international trade policy is that he didn't do the same thing for the United States.

You know, if he had really wanted to tackle China, what he would have done is gotten the rest of the globe on side with him, and he would have unified

Europe and Canada, and honestly, a bunch of other countries, like India would have happily, sort of joined a coalition to put more pressure on

China.

He didn't do that. He alienated the entire globe, and that meant that we didn't have leverage with China.

KINKADE: Yeah, exactly. And certainly, the business community hasn't appreciated the way this has played out over the last few months. How

important is it for these countries, the two world largest economies in the world, to ease their trade tensions, to get a deal, if a deal can actually

be done.

STEVENSON: You know, I think that business leaders all over the globe are just feeling exhausted and want to be able to get back to the business of

trying to do whatever it is that they do best, and stop trying to guess. You know, what's going to happen to their input prices, you know, in the

coming days, weeks or months in.

You know, if you think about things like, particularly with China, we've had companies that just don't know whether to put an order in, because they

don't know how much they're going to pay for it when it gets on to U.S. soil. And that has slowed things down.

We are seeing that slowdown in the data we're seeing the hesitation, the uncertainty creates a benefit of waiting to see if you get more

information, and that benefit of waiting is actually a cost to the American economy. So, I think it's very important that we reduce the benefit of

waiting so people can get on with the business of doing, so that we can have a robust economy.

KINKADE: Exactly. Well said Betsey Stevenson, good to have you on the program. Thanks so much.

STEVENSON: Great to talk with you.

KINKADE: Well, still to come, we are following the 2026 World Cup fever. You can see how Brazil was able to secure its place in FIFA's tournament.

Sports, is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. New images from the sea bed of the Caribbean suggest a 300-year-old mystery over what's being dubbed the holy grail of

shipwrecks has finally been solved. Research has used a remotely operated vehicle to capture these pitches of coins scattered near the wreck.

They say it's the best evidence yet that the sunken ship discovered off the coast of Columbia is the long-lost Spanish galleon San Jose.

[09:40:00]

It sank back in 1708 during a battle with British Navy ships, and was said to be carrying gold, silver and precious stones to Spain. Now the focus

turns to how its treasure can be recovered and who controls it. Is it fine as keepers, we'll see. Well in sports, Brazil is qualified for the 2026

World Cup with a one-nil win against Paraguay.

The tournament kicks off one year from today, and so far, 13 teams have qualified. Amanda Davies is following all the news. Joining us now.

Certainly, excitement is building for the World Cup.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: 13 teams qualified, 3 of whom managed to confirm their spots on Tuesday, Lynda. Brazil, Panama and Australia.

KINKADE: Thank God. Thank God.

DAVIES: It's been a brilliant turnaround for them. Their victory over Saudi Arabia, confirming their spot. But a massive moment for Brazil. Just two

games into the Carlo Ancelotti tenure, his first game in charge of Brazil on Brazilian soil, on his 66th birthday as well.

It sees them through with two games to spare. But this is really where things get serious. The countdown is on. It all kicks off a year today, and

we've got plenty more build up coming in just a couple of minutes in "World Sport".

KINKADE: Excellent. And of course, the World Cup club tournament kicks off this weekend too, which we're keen to watch. Good to see you, Amanda. And

we will tune in after the break. Stay with us. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

END