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Connect the World
At Least 82 People Dead in Catastrophic Texas Flooding; Indirect Talks Between Hamas and Israel to Resume Today; Tropical Depression Chantal Drenches U.S. Atlantic Coast; Trump Threatens Additional 10 Percent Tariff on Any Nation Supporting "Anti-American" Policies of the BRICS Group; Hulkenberg Celebrates First F1 Podium after 239 Races. Aired 9-9:45a ET
Aired July 07, 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)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Well, incredible live pictures of devastation in Texas after deadly flooding claims dozens of lives. The very
latest on the search for those still missing. It is 08:00 a.m. in Kerrville in Texas. It's 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson from our
Middle East Broadcasting Headquarters. This is "Connect the World".
Also coming up, Israel's Prime Minister heading to Washington, D.C. for a White House meeting as talks for a ceasefire in Gaza, continue. President
Trump's take it or leave it tariff letters are going out today to countries which did not make new deals with the U.S. And after a 10-week trial and
six days of deliberations, a verdict has been reached in the so-called mushroom murder case in Australia.
Stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from now, investors mulling President Trump's tariff delay. They are going into effect on August 1st,
not July 9th. Futures indicating a weaker start to the trading day.
We begin with the catastrophic flooding in Central Texas and a tragically rising death toll there. 82 people are known to have died, and dozens more
are missing. We know of at least 27 of those deaths happened at an all- girls summer camp. Camp Mystic in Hunton, Texas, confirming the loss of campers and counselors in a statement today.
The water rose lightning fast on Friday, and there's a risk of new flash flooding today, with heavy rainfall expected. Rescuers say they will heed
any warnings to move to higher ground as they search for the missing. One member of the Coast Guard is being singled out for his extraordinary
courage after rescuing 165 people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT RUSKIN, COAST GUARD RESCUE SWIMMER: Kind of encountered some pretty serious weather, some of the worst flying we've ever dealt with personally.
It took us, you know, it should have been an hour flight. Probably took us about seven or eight just to get into the landing zone.
And I was kind of the main guy as far as, like, grabbing people, usually, like, 15 to 10 kids at a time, maybe one adult with them, and bringing them
over to those 60s and getting them to a different LZ that was kind of safe and had more first responders than just myself.
So yeah, this is my first experience, but I really just kind of relied on the training we get. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers get some of the highest-
level training in the world. So really just kind of relied on that and that, you know, just knowing that any of the rescue swimmers in the Coast
Guard would have done the exact same, if not better than me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: As Pamela Brown is in Hunton, Texas, where that girl summer camp suffered such a tragic loss of life. She spoke to our John Berman just
after Camp Mystic confirmed 27 campers and counselors there had died.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it's the first accounting from the camp of how many campers and counselors died? And in this statement, John
Camp Mystic says it is grieving the loss of 27, 27 campers and counselors following the catastrophic flooding on the Guadalupe River.
The statement goes on to say our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them
constantly, and it talks about the communication that's ongoing with local and state authorities.
Now we don't know how many of those 27 are campers versus counselors, but presumably a majority are those young campers, those eight and nine-year-
olds who were washed away overnight when the rapid floods came in and rose in 45 minutes going 26 feet.
And this community, I've been out here talking to them, there's so much heartbreak out here, John, but there's so much -- so many stories of
heroism as well. 27 have lost their lives at Camp Mystic. And we should note, we don't know what that includes some of the 10 missing and the one
counselor outstanding.
But I've been hearing stories of the night watchman jumping into action, going to one of the cabins and saving the girls, keeping them afloat on
mattresses. Those young camp counselors, teenagers jumping into action and rescuing the girls, getting them out a small window at the back of the
cabin, and trading them off one by one to get on the hill when the water is chest deep, those counselors risking their own lives to save those young
campers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: While Central Texas is really in the aftermath of these deadly floods, stories of devastation as survivors describe the horrors that they
witnessed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Disaster was horrible. I've been through a lot, but haven't seen anything like that in my life. It's pretty bad. Just
demolished. Yeah, the whole town is demolished.
SCOTT WALDEN, FLOOD SURVIVOR: I grabbed my wife, and we literally jumped in the water, and it swept us down to about 200 feet down that way.
[09:05:00]
And there is a crape myrtle tree that we grabbed hold of and we waited for rescue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, no, really. I can't get any more. Oh, my God.
TONI FUCCI, FLOOD SURVIVOR: No warnings at all. They came hours later, which was the most devastating part. We got the warnings on our phone's
hours later, hours later. The destruction had already been done before the warnings came out. It was just something so serious happening and the
swiftness of the water, it wasn't slowing. It wasn't slowing, debris and furniture and RVs were coming down the river.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm devastated by what's happened to these families, to this town, but I'm also joyful to see the efforts that the community is
all pitching in.
MACON WARE, RESIDENT: A week ago, I had five granddaughters in Camp Mystic, and they finished their first session, and they're home now. But some of
their friends were there for the second session, and I just -- my heart goes out to all those little girls.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, I want to get you live now to Center Point Texas, Northwest of San Antonio, CNN's Isabel Rosales is there. If you can just start with
describing the scene where you are.
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. Hey, Becky, good morning from Central Point, Texas. This is just southeast of Hunt, the town of Hunt,
where Camp Mystic is located, about 25 miles downriver from the Guadalupe River. This is one of the hard-hit areas, too.
And you can see this line of cars that are coming in and people walking here on the road. This is all pretty much all base of volunteers, anyone
who is ready and capable to come out here and help take a look right over here and help scour the area here by the river for any sign of survivors.
Becky -- told me that they're crystal clear.
They're clear eyed on this, on the realism of the situation, that as so much time has passed by, the chances are dwindling of finding survivors,
and they're more realistic that they're probably finding victims. In this area alone let me whip the camera to the right over here.
I've been told by volunteers that in the first search, they found a body. In second search, they found a body. Third search another victim. So today
they're out here again, and this time, they're bringing in heavy machinery to help remove this debris that has been so difficult for volunteers to
look for any victims.
You've seen teams of five men pushing up these heavy tree limbs and looking at holes that the mud has created, seeing if the heavy currents from these
flood waters have dragged anybody in any spot. It is, as one volunteer told me, it is the discovery you hope you won't make, but at the same time, they
do want to make that discovery, because they want to give these families of these loved ones' closure. They want to give them answers as to where their
family member went. Listen to one of the volunteers, what else they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's unbelievable, because you want to get to the bottom, you know, if your goal of a pile, and there's one over there, it's
so tight, I couldn't even get peel a branch off, and it's like a knot. So, when people wonder, why does it take so long to find people? Because you'd
have to get a saw little at a time. It was -- I couldn't budge anything even men were up there and they could not budge it. It's just tight and 10
feet wide, 20 feet tall, you can't get in there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROSALES: And Becky, sorry, my apologies. It was hard hearing you there. I was also struck by a conversation with somebody here in the area, a
contractor who was tasked with moving a large tree from under a bridge. And he said, listen, I don't understand why in the Town of Comfort in Kendall
County, nearby county, they had an early detection system with loud sirens that warned everyone this these floodwaters were coming.
But over in Hunt and Kerr County, hard-hit Kerr County, they didn't have that. CNN dug into the data, and they found out that in 20 -- we found out
that in 2016 commissioners were discussing paying for an enhanced alert system, an early warning system with those sirens. But those plans never
came to fruition.
Now we have reached out to Kerr County, the Commissioners there to inquire as to why that never came to be Becky.
ANDERSON: Well. That's fascinating. Look, I want to look at the debate over the federal resources and the question that local authorities will have to
-- will have to answer at this point.
[09:10:00]
Here is an official from Travis County about what he is concerned about right now, followed by what the President, Donald Trump is saying. Have a
listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDY BROWN, TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS JUDGE: The first question I have is, is funding for the National Weather Service and for FEMA going to continue?
Because my team, we have meetings throughout the day, with the sheriff's office, with EMS, with firefighters, first responders.
Every single one of those meetings starts with an update from the National Weather Service. They are an absolute critical partner to what we do. We
could not do this without them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President, are you still planning to phase out FEMA?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, FEMA is something we can talk about later, but right now, they're busy working, so
we'll leave it at that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, it does pose the question whether people there are already starting to ask these questions. Is there already a discussion, a debate
about who failed here and how to avoid this in the future?
ROSALES: In fact, Becky, I was just speaking with one of the volunteers here, who was a Marine. And he was posing those exact questions, like, how
can you look at this and on the same hand, be cutting these vital positions from the National Weather Service. Be talking about defunding FEMA, getting
it out of here.
How can you look at the scale of devastation and not provide that sort of federal help? They are looking also at whether those little girls at Camp
Mystic were failed locally, at the local level, why, when there were alarms, rather emergency alert texts that did go out throughout the night,
overnight into the holiday weekend.
Why that information never made it to the ground at these campsites to get those little girls and other campsites to get those people evacuated out of
there. I did also hear from other people who have defended the actions of officials. Locals here, who have said, listen, this is known as flash flood
alley.
We get so many alerts of flash flood warnings and watches all hours every day, there is fatigue here with those alerts. So, it's no surprise that
when things got out of control here, people didn't go to sleep Friday, thinking that it would be -- lead to this scale of devastation.
So, I'm seeing people tackling it from all sorts of different viewpoints. And of course, we're going to continue to follow and ask officials those
questions, press them for accountability as well, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah, absolutely. Good to have you. Thank you so much. And if you would like to help those affected by the flooding in Texas, you can do so
at cnn.com/impact, there you can find resources for donations, and you'll be connected to charities that are on the ground there now.
Well, the Israeli Prime Minister is in Washington today to meet with President Trump to discuss the latest ceasefire proposal. Just before
boarding his flight to the U.S. on Sunday, Netanyahu said Trump, quote, can help move us closer to an agreement. Meantime, an Israeli source tells CNN
that indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in Qatar will be resuming shortly.
Let's get you CNN's Jeremy Diamond, who is in Tel Aviv. Donald Trump certainly appears optimistic about making progress towards a deal. So, what
more are we hearing at this point about where these talks stand and how close they might be to some sort of deal.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, let's quickly recap what's happened over the last few days. I mean, we've seen Hamas now
deliver what they characterize as a positive response to that latest ceasefire proposal, which Israel had accepted following the United States
submitting that proposal.
Although they did include several amendments, some changes to the language that they would like to see. The Israeli Prime Minister called those
changes unacceptable, but nonetheless, he agreed to send a delegation of Israeli negotiators to Doha in order to begin those proximity talks, which
is usually the last stage of negotiations, in order to iron out all of the details and get over any last-minute obstacles.
Those negotiations began yesterday. They are indeed continuing today as well. And now the question is whether or not they can overcome the
remaining gaps that do exist? And a lot of that may depend on how the Israeli Prime Minister's meetings with President Trump go, because there's
no question President Trump wants this cease fire deal to happen, and he also believes that it will ultimately lead to an end of the war in Gaza.
Listen to the president yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think we're close to a deal on Gaza. We could have it this week. I think there's a good chance we have a deal with Hamas during the week,
during the coming week, pertaining to quite a few of the hostages.
[09:15:00]
You know, we've gotten a lot of the hostages out, but pertaining to the remaining hostages, quite a few of them will be coming out. We think we'll
have that done this week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAMOND: And of course, Becky, we know that, you know, a number of changes had been made to this latest ceasefire proposal in order to try and bridge
the gap with Hamas, including those stronger assurances from the United States that they would keep Israel at the negotiating table in order to
really, in earnest, try and end this war in Gaza over the course of this 60 day truce, or even perhaps beyond it, if that is necessary.
We also heard on social media from Bishara Bahbah, who is a Palestinian American businessman, a supporter of President Trump's, who has been
dispatched in Doha for some time now, trying to bridge the gap here communicating directly with Hamas.
He said that, in his view, the amendments that Hamas has requested will not prevent reaching a ceasefire agreement. But again, there are a number of
issues that still need to be discussed, and while there certainly is still a lot of momentum behind this and certainly a lot of willpower from the
United States in order to get this across the finish line, it remains to be seen whether the two sides can indeed get there, Becky.
ANDERSON: Jeremy, thank you. Well, this region, the entire region, and I'm of course, in Abu Dhabi in the Gulf, keenly watching today's meeting,
pushing for the new Gaza ceasefire effort to turn into something bigger, a comprehensive Middle East peace deal.
The UAE, specifically urging President Trump to go for the quote, big prize, expanding the Abraham Accords and establishing a Palestinian State.
Emirati Diplomat Lana Nusseibeh joined me to discuss U.S. leadership and more. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LANA NUSSEIBEH, SPECIAL ENVOY OF THE UAE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: President Trump has been able to achieve as a very important de-escalation
moment for the region. That's why we think it's time to build on that, build out on that, and create a more sustainable, stable peace agreement
for the entire region.
ANDERSON: You're talking about the Iran ceasefire, of course. The through line to the big prize, as it were, for the region the UAE believes is a
Gaza ceasefire and a viable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel. Let's start with the Gaza ceasefire. You'll have seen the current sort of
framework proposal reasonable.
NUSSEIBEH: I'm not going to go into the details of the framework proposal. Of course, our Egyptian and Qatari colleagues are working hand in hand with
the United States and with Israel to try and make that ceasefire expand into both a Gaza ceasefire, but also look to the future for what a
political road map could look like to make that ceasefire sustainable.
So, we're talking about security and governance of the Gaza Strip. These were questions that were always missing in previous ceasefires. The famine
situation on the ground is untenable in Gaza today, aid is not reaching those that need it, civilians that need it. At the scale that it needs to
go in, that's the first thing that needs to happen.
Then we need to look at security and governance structures for Gaza and the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. And then we need to look at what the
viable political perspective is for the future for both Palestinians and Israelis to live side by side in peace in a broader integrated region that
also includes Iran, that includes a stable Lebanon, a stable Syria and the rest of the countries of the region. That's what we're really talking about
when we say, go for the big prize.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: We will have more from that interview next hour, including Lana Nusseibeh's message to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead
of his meeting with President Trump at the White House later today. Well after the break, the jury of the Mushroom Murder trial in Australia has
reached a verdict, the decision that up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:20:00]
ANDERSON: The woman at the center of Australia's Mushroom Murder trial, as it's become known, has been found guilty on all counts. Erin Paterson had
faced three counts of murder and one of attempted murder after serving a beef wellington lunch in laws that contained death cap mushrooms. CNN's
Ivan Watson with the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Australian mother of two, Erin Patterson killed her estranged husband's parents and his aunt and
hospitalized his uncle, all with a meal of Beef Wellington containing toxic death cap mushrooms.
And now, after a 10-week trial that captivated Australia and the world, a jury has decided she poisoned them on purpose. In July 2023 Patterson
hosted four people for lunch at her home in the Australian Town of Leon Gotha. Dawn and Gail Patterson, her former in laws, died in the days after.
Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson also died. Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson spent weeks in a hospital fighting the poison and survived. Patterson's
estranged husband Simon had turned down the invitation. Erin Patterson took herself to the hospital after the meal, but was never as sick as the
others.
In court she said it was because she didn't eat much of the lunch and threw up afterwards because she binged on dessert. Lunch that day was
individually portioned Beef Wellingtons steak and mushroom pate wrapped in pastry. Patterson says she flavored the food with dried mushrooms, which
she thought had come from a grocer but might have collected and dehydrated herself as part of her hobby of picking wild mushrooms.
The dehydrator machine was later found in a dumpster with Patterson's fingerprints and traces of the death caps inside. Patterson admitted she
had disposed of it in a panic and lied to police about ever owning it. The court heard evidence that in the months before the meal, Patterson may have
been in a location where death caps grow.
The defense argued the poisoned meal was a terrible accident, and that Patterson had no motive to kill the victims on purpose. Ultimately,
prosecutors were able to convince the jury with their argument that Patterson purposely hunted for death caps and then cooked them with the
intention to kill her children's only grandparents and her ex-husband's aunt and uncle.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, that was Ivan Watson reporting for you. Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. And
ridiculous is how U.S. President Donald Trump is describing Elon Musk's move to start a new political party.
Musk announced the formation of what he calls the America party, after harshly criticizing the president's massive tax and spending cuts, bill
signed into law on Friday. President Trump says, quote, starting a third party just adds to confusion.
In South Central Indonesia, a volcano has erupted, spewing towering columns of hot ash as high as 18 kilometers into the sky, the eruption of Mount
Lewotobi Laki-laki is one of the largest in the country since 2010. So far, no casualties have been reported.
Well, forecasters are warning of life-threatening floods in North Carolina and Virginia from what was Tropical Storm Chantal. It's now a tropical
depression dumping heavy rain on those states. Officials report numerous water rescues from flooded homes. Chantal is the first named storm of the
Atlantic hurricane season to hit the U.S. mainland.
Well, you're watching, "Connect the World". I'm Becky Anderson for you. Coming up, the entire global economy once again on notice with President
Donald Trump's 90-day tariff pause set to expire this week.
[09:25:00]
What's next for U.S. trading partners that haven't already made a deal that is coming up. Plus, an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes.
Had Russia's Vladimir Putin attending Sunday's BRICS Summit via video link. But why was Chinese Leader Xi Jinping a no show? Well, our report on that
is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You are watching "Connect the World". These are your headlines this hour. And volunteers in
Central Texas say they are heeding new flood warnings and moving to higher ground as needed. Flood watches extended until Monday evening, as small
rain moves through the region, more than 80 people are confirmed dead in floods that struck suddenly over the weekend.
U.S. President Donald Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House later today. Mr. Trump pushing for a ceasefire
deal between Hamas and Israel, and says he believes says a good chance a deal could be reached this week.
Well, a crew of a merchant vessel forced to abandon ship after they were attacked on Sunday while sailing off the Coast of Yemen, have been rescued
by a passing ship. Maritime officials say the crew is, quote, well and safe. It's unclear at this point who is responsible for that attack.
Well, London is marking the 20th Anniversary of the suicide bombings on the city's transit system. London's Mayor and Britain's Prime Minister paid
tribute to the 52 people killed while riding on the underground at a bus when British Islamic extremists set off the bombs. Hundreds more were
injured that day.
Well, a high stakes moment in President Donald Trump's trade wars, the 90- day pause on the reciprocal tariffs set to expire on Wednesday, investors will be keenly awaiting to see what happens next. Mr. Trump says his
administration will begin sending out letters today to all U.S. trading partners without a deal in place.
[09:30:00]
So, Trump's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier he expects several announcements on deals to come over the next 48 hours. Well, the
bell ringing on Wall Street to welcome in the trading week. This all comes as the president takes the social media with another tariff threat. He
warns the U.S. will impose an additional 10 percent levy on any country aligned with what he calls the anti-American policies of the BRICS nations.
Well, CNN's Senior Reporter Matt Egan, following the latest from New York. These markets have opened mixed. It is 09:30 on Wall Street. We'll let
these markets just settle in before we get our viewers a sense of exactly what's going on.
But they are reflecting, as far as I can tell, what the futures markets indicated, which was a mixed to weaker opening. In fact, they all look as
if they are down at this point. Let's talk about these letters being sent to scores of countries by Donald Trump, who's getting these letters. And do
we know what they say exactly?
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Becky, not really, other than the expectation that the letters are going to include a new tariff rate, potentially as high as
that April 2nd liberation tariff rate, the one that freaked out investors around the world.
Look, this is just the latest chapter in what has already been a very chaotic trade war, right? That has confused CEOs and small business owners
and of course, investors across the world, obviously, U.S., stock markets opening slightly lower -- not a dramatic drop here.
But look, this is shaping up to be a significant week in the trade war. A number of key events here, starting today, as the president says that
beginning at noon, Eastern Time in New York, tariff letters are going to start go -- going out, although it doesn't sound like all of them
necessarily go out today. This comes ahead of Wednesday's deadline, right?
That's the -- when the 90-day pause expires. This is 90 days from April 9th, when the president paused those Liberation Day tariffs that really
unnerved investors. The pause sent U.S. stocks skyrocketing. What's notable, though, is that over the weekend, U.S. officials, they announced
that the new tariffs, the ones that are going to be announced in these letters, they're not going to take effect immediately.
The expectation is that they would take effect August 1st. So, that really sets another deadline in what is already a manufactured crisis of sorts,
right? Because now, even though there's going to be new letters going out, it's not like the rates take effect, which, of course, allows for even more
time for negotiation and possibly even more delays.
Now some investors and some analysts who are watching this are frustrated by just how haphazard everything has been. Greg Valliere is a policy
strategist. He wrote a note over the weekend that said, back to confusion. It's not clear when tariffs will take effect, as President Trump and
cabinet officials seemingly returned to the head spinning ad hoc policies that upset markets in the spring.
And he noted cabinet officials, in his view, were incomprehensible this weekend. And so, Becky, now we wait and we watch to see what these letters
say? How high rates tariffs are going to ultimately go, and whether or not this new date of August 1st allows for some time and some negotiation to
come up with new trade agreements, Becky.
ANDERSON: Kicking the can down what has been already a pretty chaotic road. Yet another threat from Mr. Trump this time, he's calling for more tariffs
on nations who are, as he describes them, aligning themselves with the anti-American policies of the BRICS group, which includes, amongst others,
Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa with some new recruits, including the UAE. Do we have any specifics on that at this point?
EGAN: Not really. Look, this revives a threat that the president had made a few months ago, where he went after the BRICS nations over what he views as
a threat to the U.S. dollar. Although a lot of analysts don't really see that threat there, and don't see the dollar's dominance really threatened.
But in this "Truth Social" post last night, the president said that any country aligning themselves with the anti-American policies of BRICS will
be charged an additional 10 percent tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy. So, it's a little bit of a different threat, because in the
past, I think he had really threatened nations that are part of BRICS.
[09:35:00]
Now he's saying any country that's aligned with BRICS. So, that could open up the universe of countries that would get this additional 10 percent
tariff. But I mean, this is significant because let's say -- let's say the U.S. reaches a deal with India and says, OK, India is going to have a 15
percent tariff rate based on those reciprocal tariffs.
Well, that 15 percent rate according to this "Truth Social" post that says there's no exception, that 15 percent rate would actually go up to 25
percent which is much, much higher, of course. So, there's a lot here to unpack, and as always, we have to see whether or not this threat actually
gets carried through, and whether or not that lasts or if it gets walked back again.
I think it's interesting that markets seem to be taking a lot of this uncertainty in stride with U.S. stocks opening the day in the red, but not
dramatically lower, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah, good to have you. Thank you. First trading day, of course, after Thursday last week, Friday closed for July 4th, so out of the gate,
slightly weaker, but not significantly so today. Thank you.
Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the summit of world leaders at the BRICS Conference in Brazil on Sunday. He did so by video link because
of an ICC arrest warrant alleging war crimes in connection to Russia's war with Ukraine.
The BRICS collection of countries is now wrapping up an annual meeting in Rio De Janeiro. Putin told them that fundamental changes are happening in
the world because liberal globalization, he said, has quote exhausted itself in saying it's important to increase trade in national currencies.
CNN's Clare Sebastian, joining me now from London.
And you've been monitoring what's been going on at this annual summit. Look I mean, you and I have known each other long enough to have been around
pretty much when this term was first coined, and it was a sort of loose grouping of emerging economies at the time.
It's not like a G7 or a G20 I mean, this is a loosely aligned group, but they do certainly have aspirations for more, ambition for more and they've
been taking on more members. What have been the big takeaways from what is this annual summit this year in Brazil?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Becky, this is the second time that we've seen the BRICS meet for an annual summit with this new expanded
format. Essentially doubled in size last year to include those new members, and part of that was to try to present itself with greater global
influence, greater global heft, to be a counterpoint, essentially, both economically and, I think ideologically, as well, to the United States.
I think there are more challenges this year than there were last year. Of course, the trade war that you and Matt, were discussing the difficult
balancing act that creates for some of the members of sort of providing this counterweight to the U.S., while at the same time trying to negotiate
favorable trade terms. India, for example, definitely trading that fine line.
And then we have the tensions in the Middle East that mean that some of the national leaders that were expected in Rio are not there. Iran's President,
Egypt's President, to name a few. And of course, we see President Putin having to appear via video link for entirely different reasons because of
that ICC arrest warrant.
But I think, look, despite those challenges, this is still an alliance that is clearly trying to increase its influence in the world. And if you look
at the communique, it's really not holding back when it comes to criticizing the U.S. without actually naming the U.S. We see criticism of
the tariffs.
We see criticism of the strikes on Iran, which, of course, the U.S. joined together with Israel, and we see them expressing alarm at increased
military spending, which is, of course, something that the U.S. has made a signature policy when it comes to the rest of NATO.
So, I think with that, it's definitely signaling that it wants to continue to try to take on what they call the sort of the hegemony of the United
States led global order. And we see this constant refrain around multilateralism, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah, it's fascinating, isn't it? Iran, one of the new members, of course, alongside Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia and the UAE. Good to have
you. Thank you. Coming up, we're going to the racetrack, including a first ever podium finish for Nico Hulkenberg, one that had his biggest little fan
jumping for joy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:40:00]
ANDERSON: We saw a thrilling, rain filled race at the British Grand Prix on Sunday. But the best story isn't who won, it is the man who finished in
third place. Coy Wire joins me now with what is a tremendous story, Coy?
COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Yes, Becky, and I know you saw in the tease, a lot of cuteness to this story. Nico Hulkenberg was just a cute 22-year-old,
way back in 2010 when he made his F1 career debut, and there he spent 15 years and 238, races, never having podium in his career.
But there he was at the British Grand Prix, and it was such a great moment. He's so well respected amongst the other drivers. Max Verstappen was fist
pumping looking out of his car when he saw that Hulkenberg was going to podium and his family could not be there, including his young daughter.
She's about four years old Nomi (ph), but she was at home watching dad on the big screen hold up that trophy and look at her jumping for joy. Becky,
that's just absolutely incredible stuff. So cute. She knows every driver's name. Her mother there was testing her and saying the first name.
She said the last name of every driver. It's incredible. The team celebrating champagne. They didn't have champagne enough for the team
because they didn't think this was going to happen. So, Mercedes sent over a couple bottles of air champagne so they were able to celebrate. And all
the fun we have that and a lot more fun coming up on "World Sport" in just a bit.
ANDERSON: Good that's terrific. That is after this short break, I'll be back in 15 minutes with more "Connect the World". Stay with us.
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