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Israel and Hezbollah Agree to Renew Ceasefire; Andy Burnham Wins Parliament Seat as Pressure Mounts on Keir Starmer; The Dads Who Found Each Other Through Football and Grief; Artificial Intelligence Use in Global Health Care; The U.S. Prepares to Celebrate Juneteenth. Aired 10a-11a ET
Aired June 19, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:35]
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to the second hour of the show. I'm Christina MacFarlane in London.
And we have some new developments to get to now about the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Multiple sources familiar with the
situation tell us both sides are now agreeing to renew the ceasefire. An IDF spokesperson refused to acknowledge it during a briefing. Now, this
comes after today's U.S.-Iran negotiations in Switzerland were called off.
Let's bring back CNN's Nic Robertson from Lucerne in Switzerland.
So, Nic, bring us up to speed on what you're hearing on this and what your sources are saying.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, we're hearing from a number of sources, U.S. sources, sources from within the Gulf and other
sources in the region, that this ceasefire that's been agreed to come into effect at 4:00 p.m. local time between Israel and Hezbollah, a commitment
from both of them to, it appears, to cease hostilities over the larger part of Lebanon. I don't think we should interpret this as being a necessary
complete cessation along the so-called sort of yellow line between the IDF and Lebanon, inside of Lebanon.
But in terms of the broad prospectus of a ceasefire that would have Israel stop targeting Hezbollah targets deep inside of Lebanon with huge strikes,
as was witnessed earlier in the day, and then later today in the Baca Valley, it appears that this has now been agreed to this ceasefire. Now
Iran has said that it looked to President Trump to be responsible for resolving this situation. Of course, both sides, the U.S. and Iran agreed,
number one point, as part of the memorandum of understanding, Lebanon was part of the ceasefire.
When this these hostilities escalated in Lebanon overnight into today, Iran has looked to the United States to take the temperature out of it and bring
that down. And that was the tripwire, if you will, for the reason why Iran didn't show up at the talks that should have been in the hotel up there on
the mountain, the Birkenstock Hotel up there on the mountain behind me today. So this does seem to be a signal that the potential now to bring
Vice President J.D. Vance up here to the mountain top in Switzerland, as he was expected to be today, perhaps in the coming days.
We don't have an idea of timeline on that, but it certainly opens the door and pathway now for the Iranians to show up, the U.S. side to show up, and
for a beginning of talks on these 14 points of the memorandum of understanding, which they now have 59 days left to talk about. The clock
started ticking on the 60 days yesterday. So this seems to be the pathway over this initial hurdle. That's very indicative, I think, of the hurdles
and problems we can expect through this whole process.
MACFARLANE: Yes. And this comes, as you know, Nic, after a real ramping up of rhetoric on all sides in the past couple of hours just, and it still
appears to remain a rather tenuous position -- situation as you point out there. I mean, Tehran has said it's wanted guarantees that all hostilities
in Lebanon will end before resuming negotiations.
What are Iran messaging at this moment? What are we hearing on this announcement of a ceasefire?
ROBERTSON: Well, prior to this announcement, Iran had made very clear through their spokesman at the Foreign Ministry that if this situation, the
escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah continued inside of Lebanon, then Iran could potentially act in such a way to destabilize the
situation in the region. This was an indication that Iran was prepared to do what it had done a week and a half ago, when Israel had struck deep
inside Lebanon at targets, Hezbollah targets, they said, in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
And Iran had responded by sending ballistic missiles into Israel, that it was seen to be an indication that they were threatening the same. Again, go
back to, if we would, to point one of the memorandum of understanding, of those 14 points, one and a half pages, point one says that Lebanon is part
of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran. Not only that, it says that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon should be
respected, which can sound like Israeli troops should therefore not be inside of Lebanon and should not be striking inside of Lebanon.
[10:05:17]
Clearly, IDF remains, to a degree, inside of Lebanon, in the south. So I think this is why sort of the understanding of the ceasefire that's in
place right now really seems to apply to sort of these bigger, deeper strikes from Israel and Hezbollah's responses as well, rather than the
dispensation of IDF troops at this time in the south of Lebanon. But the language in the memorandum of understanding is very, very clear. Lebanon is
part of the ceasefire and its sovereignty, territorial integrity should be respected.
MACFARLANE: Nic Robertson there in Lucerne. Thanks very much.
Let's turn to Oren Liebermann, who's joining us with more perspective from Jerusalem.
So, Oren, what are you hearing on this renewed ceasefire deal and what it guarantees?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: We heard a couple hours ago from an Israeli source that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided
not to pursue further retaliation for four Israeli soldiers killed in southern Lebanon. Shortly after midnight, Israeli strikes across Lebanon
and the military says they had carried out strikes on more than 100 targets, had killed at least 21 people in Lebanon as we were eyeing the
possibility of certainly intense fighting but a continuation of that fighting that imperils the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.
For now, it seems, not only from the Israeli source, but also from the statements we've seen from the Israeli military and Netanyahu, things have
stepped back from the precipice of an all-out escalation here. And that's also what we've heard from multiple sources familiar with the matter who
have worked as mediators to put in place this ceasefire. But Israel is unlikely to acknowledge an open ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.
In fact, none of the agreements we have seen until now, earlier this month, in April, back even in November 24th, were directly between Israel and
Hezbollah. It was Israel and Lebanon, and there was some work to try to get that to include Hezbollah. What we're likely to see from Israel is more of
what we have seen in, you know, in previous years where they would say quiet will be met with quiet.
The question, of course, is how long does that last? We have seen these ceasefires in previous, you know, over the past couple of years, frankly,
fall apart within a matter of days. And now that has far greater consequences because Iran has made clear that if there is fighting ongoing
in Lebanon, certainly intense fighting, then they will step back from the talks that President Donald Trump has put such a great import on to try to
make this memorandum of understanding a more permanent ceasefire agreement.
MACFARLANE: And, Oren, how much of a make-or-break moment does this seem to you to be for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on the one side is
caught between, you know, rhetoric coming from his right-wing politicians, the likes of all of Lebanon must burn, which we heard just this morning,
and U.S. president, of course, who is demanding an immediate end to this war?
LIEBERMANN: Well, it seems, at least in this debate, and you're exactly right to point that out, President Donald Trump has forced Israel to de-
escalate, has drawn a boundary of what it will allow or what he will allow Israel to do. And then you have the far-right members of Netanyahu's
coalition. Take a look. This is a tweet from far-right minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, where he said shortly after the Israeli military
acknowledged the four soldiers killed, he said all of Lebanon should burn. So Netanyahu under pressure there to escalate.
But given the announcement of the ceasefire here coming from the sources we have spoken with, it seems that that Netanyahu's sort of willingness to
bend to Trump is more important. Now, of course, Netanyahu has also come under criticism from the opposition who see him as weak and unable to
control the situation. This is the head of the opposition, Yair Lapid, he said on social media, "In the past day, the U.S. vice president got angry
at a press conference over Smotrich and Ben-Gvir."
That's two far-right ministers. "Foreign Minister Sa'ar cut ties with the European Union's foreign minister, and President Trump said Netanyahu is
showing irresponsibility in Lebanon. If we don't quickly replace this government, Israel's foreign relations will be wiped out." Lapid getting in
a bigger issue here, which is Israel's isolation on the global stage. And that gets at the comments we saw from Vice President J.D. Vance, where he
basically called out Israel and said, you don't have many friends left except for Trump in the world right now.
MACFARLANE: Yes, difficult to forget. Oren Liebermann there. Appreciate the update. Thank you.
Well, let's turn to Sina Toossi, who is a senior nonresident fellow at the Center for International Policy. He joins us now from Washington.
Sina, I just want to get your immediate thoughts really on the ceasefire. We know Tehran has said it wanted guarantees that hostilities with Lebanon
would end before resuming negotiations.
[10:10:02]
But this still seems to be a very tenuous situation. What do you make of it?
SINA TOOSSI, SENIOR NONRESIDENT FELLOW, CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL POLICY: Yes. So Lebanon is the major flashpoint for the durability of this
memorandum signed between the U.S. and Iran that Iran had said from the get-go, back with the original ceasefire in April, that it has to be a
region wide ceasefire. It has to apply to Lebanon. And right now we're seeing that despite multiple ceasefires reached ostensibly between Lebanon
and Israel, this fighting is continuing.
Israel is occupying or controlling upwards of 20 percent of Lebanese territory. We saw this fighting today, and now there were scheduled talks
that were supposed to happen in Geneva today between the Americans and the Iranians, and they haven't happened. Now, the MOU that both Trump and the
Iranian president signed explicitly does tie a ceasefire and implementation of a ceasefire in Lebanon to the beginning of negotiations between the U.S.
and Iran for this broader deal that they're trying to reach this final nuclear agreement.
So if this Lebanon situation continues to fall apart and fighting continues, it seems likely that the U.S. and Iran are not going to be able
to make progress towards a bigger final nuclear deal.
MACFARLANE: Given what Oren was just -- Oren and I were just discussing about the pressure ramping up on Israel and its prime minister, let's just
take a listen to what J.D. Vance had to say yesterday on Israel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of
Israel at this moment in time. And he happens to be the head of state of the world's superpower. If I was in the Cabinet of the Israeli government,
I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: I mean, these were stark, direct comments. How do you read this? Is this the U.S. running out of patience with Israel?
TOOSSI: It seems like it. I mean, it's very striking. We haven't seen comments to this degree from the Trump administration or Vice President
J.D. Vance. We had seen in recent weeks reports that Trump was mad at Netanyahu when he struck Beirut, you know, amidst trying to get this deal.
But the fact is that the U.S. does have immense leverage over Israel.
You know, Israel has really demonstrated in the past several years that it's really dependent on U.S. support for defending itself, you know,
interceptor missiles for the political support that the United States gives it. So America and the Trump administration does have the leverage over
Israel and Netanyahu to pressure him to stop the fighting in Lebanon if he wanted to. So, and right now, we're seeing that this pressure seemingly
brought to bear more.
There are more tangible measures that the Trump administration can implement. Stopping some arms sales, abiding by certain U.S. laws when it
comes to kind of human rights violations and arms sales. So they can do that. But right now, we're seeing that when the Trump administration has
upped the ante, it seems like Netanyahu does back down. And immediately this morning, they're reaching another ceasefire.
Again, there's been multiple of these ceasefires. We'll see if this one holds. But it does show that the U.S. has leverage.
MACFARLANE: Yes. And when it comes to the MOU, can you take us inside what and how Tehran might be thinking here because they're known to play the
long game. What is Iran really trying to secure in this memorandum of understanding?
TOOSSI: Yes, I think the most critical thing is that there's totally zero trust, obviously, between both sides. From the Iranian side, you know,
there -- from their view, they've been burned multiple times by the U.S. negotiations. They were in negotiations twice with the Trump administration
and came under surprise military attack twice back in June, last June, and again this time. Obviously Trump left the Obama era nuclear deal despite
Iran abiding by it.
So what this MOU really sets up is basically a test and a trial run of the intentions of both sides. So the Iranians have to open up the Strait of
Hormuz, have to let ships through. Obviously, the hostilities are ending between both sides. But for the Iranians, there's this sequencing to really
try to test U.S. intentions. So they're wanting to get some of their frozen assets released, lifting the U.S. blockade, getting an oil waiver to sell
some of their oil, and trying to get the ceasefire in Lebanon.
And again, explicitly, it's been tied to these negotiations proceeding towards a nuclear deal, towards a new nuclear deal, a more comprehensive
settlement. These kind of initial clauses have to be implemented. And I think -- so it's a test. It's a trial run. And in Iran, the politics is
very controversial on this. And we saw yesterday the Iranian supreme leader basically scapegoated the president, the reformist president, Pezeshkian,
and said this MOU is his doing and I didn't really want it. We'll see if it works out.
So it's similar to how his father approached these issues. But they have their own politics and kind of, you know, their hardliners who are against
this. So it really is a trial run to see if they can get more.
[1015:01]
MACFARLANE: And given that you think or you say it could be a trial run, you've said in the past that even if Iran benefits from a deal with
Washington, any peace that comes from this is likely to be temporary. Can you just expand on what you meant by that?
TOOSSI: Yes. Well, again, I mean, the odds of the U.S. and Iran reaching a broader settlement still seem quite remote. I mean, the nuclear issue has
been an issue between these two countries for decades. Negotiations have fallen through multiple times. There's hardliners and hawks on both sides.
So it's going to be very hard for them. As we can see right now with Lebanon, for them to get out of this volatile period and have this MOU
become something more durable.
I think both sides have benefited from a temporary dialing down of tensions. Again, the Strait of Hormuz being opened up, the blockade on Iran
being lifted. So I argue that Iran, you know, is having some temporary relief. The U.S. is having some temporary relief. Trump likely wants to get
past the midterms, but it seems, you know, if past is precedent, it is -- there is a very real possibility of tensions dialing up again. We've
already seen two wars against Iran. They could, you know, a third attempt could be made. I don't rule that out. But at the same time, this war really
showed the immense costs of conflict with Iran.
They have the Strait of Hormuz leverage. So I do hope that that pushes all sides towards a middle ground solution, towards compromise in a more
lasting political solution.
MACFARLANE: Yes. Well, the last 48 hours have clearly been an indication of just how volatile this all still remains.
Sina Toossi of the Center of International Policy, thanks very much.
Now, the Italian foreign minister has canceled his trip to the U.S., where he was set to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This follows comments
quoted in Italian media from U.S. President Donald Trump, where he claimed that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni begged him for a photo at the G7
Summit, adding that he felt sorry for her. Meloni refuted the comments in a video posted on social media Friday morning. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIORGIA MELONI, ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Well, some things deserve an immediate response. Donald Trump's statements are
completely made up. I am frankly astonished. I don't know why the president of the United States behaves like this toward his allies. It's not the
first time. Moreover, I can only say it is disappointing that he does not show the same determination with the enemies of the West and of the United
States, whose leaders he instead treats with far greater indulgence. There is one thing he should remember. Neither I nor Italy ever beg.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: CNN has reached out to the White House and the U.S. State Department for comment.
OK, still to come, Andy Burnham wins a special parliamentary election in the U.K., setting up what could become a major leadership showdown with
embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:20:02]
MACFARLANE: Here in the U.K. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has won a special parliamentary election on Thursday, seen as a key step towards
potentially ousting embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Burnham's election victory brings him back to the House of Commons, where he previously served, and sets him up for a potential Labour Party
leadership contest against Starmer, who has struggled with low approval ratings.
CNN's Clare Sebastian has more for us from Makerfield, England.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Standing between a fox and a trash can, a surreal picture to end a five-week whirlwind campaign for
Labour's Andy Burnham, the man who may now challenge British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for his job, making it clear he plans to shake things up.
ANDY BURNHAM, NEWLY-ELECTED BRITISH MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: Everyone knows that politics isn't working. Everyone can feel that the country isn't where
it should be. Tonight could, just could, be the turning point.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): The scale of that victory may now strengthen his case for change. Burnham secured 55 percent of the vote, a comfortable lead
over Robert Kenyon of Nigel Farage's hard right Reform U.K. Party, who came in second place with 35 percent.
It was a campaign fought on the doorsteps of a collection of former coal mining towns in northwest England.
BURNHAM: We're doing everything possible. We're not taking anything for granted.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Burnham, a former Cabinet minister who's been the popular mayor of Greater Manchester for the best part of a decade, talked
as little as possible on the campaign trail about his larger leadership ambition, focusing instead on local issues.
NIGEL FARAGE, LEADER, REFORM U.K.: What really happened here is it was vote Burnham, get Starmer out.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Reform leader Farage admitting Friday he's disappointed in the result. His party beaten at its own game. Meanwhile,
uncertainty ahead for Starmer and for Labour as Burnham plots his next move.
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: If there is a contest, just to be clear with you, then yes, I will run, I will stand. And I've said
repeatedly, I'm not going to walk away from that.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Another battle may lie ahead for Burnham, but first, a victory lap.
BURNHAM: The word Makerfield in the future must be known as a byword for the change that came to British politics.
SEBASTIAN: Andy Burnham, speaking to supporters at a local football club, isn't directly addressing the big question when and how he could challenge
Keir Starmer's leadership. Instead focusing on what the campaign now believes won it for them. That core message of hope and the promise of
change.
Clare Sebastian, CNN, in Ashton in Makerfield, England.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Now to try to survive U.S. sanctions, Cuba's government plans to privatize parts of its economy. The proposal was passed by Cuban
lawmakers on Thursday and is the single largest change in the country's economy since the revolution in 1959. The proposal was put forward by the
country's prime minister, Manuel Morero. It's also backed by the island's former president, Raul Castro. Cuba's current president, Manuel Diaz-Canel,
spoke after the reforms were passed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIGUEL DIAZ-CANEL, CUBAN PRESIDENT (through translator): As we work to correct mistakes and shortcomings while also facing external siege, we have
agreed to take on the always difficult mission of opening the economy even further, with priority given to caring for Cubans, whether they live in the
country or not. These decisions are not tied to negotiations. Cuba remains willing to engage respectfully with the government of the United States on
all possible issues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: This comes after U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said Cuba needs to make changes that would improve ties between the island and the U.S..
It's unclear whether these changes will meet the White House's criteria.
All right. Still to come, the football team helping bereaved fathers find strength, friendship and hope after the loss of a child.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Christina Macfarlane. Here are your headlines.
More now on our top story. Multiple sources tell us Israel and Hezbollah are now agreeing to renew the ceasefire. But an IDF spokesperson refuses to
acknowledge it during the briefing. This comes after today's U.S.-Iran negotiations in Switzerland were called off.
Here in the U.K., Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has won a special parliamentary election that opens the door to a future bid for prime
minister. Thursday's victory is widely viewed as a major step towards a possible Labour Party leadership contest between Burnham and embattled
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is facing a number of political challenges and low approval ratings.
And more flooding threatens millions of people in the southern U.S.. It's part of the aftermath of Tropical Storm Arthur that has inundated the
region with days of rain. The death toll from the weather has climbed to at least three, and many more have been rescued from flood waters.
Well, Team USA returned to the pitch in World Cup action today. The Stars and Stripes will take on the Socceroos of Australia in Seattle, Washington.
Scotland will face off with Morocco in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and Brazil and Haiti are both looking for their first wins as they meet in
Philadelphia. And Turkey will take on Paraguay in Santa Clara, California.
And there was a history making moment at the World Cup in Atlanta as the first all-female, all-American officiating crew took charge of a men's
match. Referee Tori Penso was joined by assistant referees Brooke Mayo and Kathryn Nesbitt. FIFA president Gianni Infantino called it a milestone that
will inspire future generations. Great to see.
Now there is a club that no father ever wants to join. It's the club of parents who have lost a child. But in Northern England, Forget-Me-Not FC,
in partnership with Port Vale Foundation, is helping a group of bereaved dads find strength, friendship and a way to keep moving forward through the
game they love. Now they're hoping their story inspires similar teams around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE (voice-over): This is Steve and the snow globe that got him through his darkest hour. The loss of his twins, stillborn after years of
IVF.
STEVE JACKSON, MEMBER, FORGET-ME-NOT FC: It says, "If tears could build a stairway and memories a lane, I'd walk right up to heaven and bring you
home again.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Steve is one of dozens of men powerfully bonded here by the crippling pain of child loss. Twice a month in the north of
England, they talk through their grief. It's a rare and remarkable safe space.
ANTHONY SUTCLIFFE, MEMBER, FORGET-ME-NOT FC: This is Teddy. This is something that my mother-in-law brought around on the day that she was
born, and on the day that we lost her, and she said every little girl should have a teddy.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Ten years ago, Anthony's daughter, Poppy, died during pregnancy.
SUTCLIFFE: There is nothing more masculine than a group of lads sitting around crying, hugging each other, supporting each other. That's manly.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Football has given these men a reason to be here. Perhaps a way in the door without admitting vulnerability or weakness.
NICK BAMFORD, MEMBER, FORGET-ME-NOT FC: I'll be honest with you. If it wasn't for football, I never would have made the phone call, sent the
message kind of thing. But yes, the football was our thing.
[10:30:03]
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Nick's son, 10-year-old Jayden, died after a long battle with cancer 18 months ago.
What has it been like sharing your story with these guys?
BAMFORD: Them all hearing what I've been through and me hearing what they've been through, you realize you're not alone with it.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): That's exactly what founder Sean Coleman hoped for when he started the club last year.
SEAN COLEMAN, FOUNDER, FORGET-ME-NOT FC: It's OK to grieve. There's no stigma. And that's what I'm trying to break, like the stigma of men's
grief, men's mental health, and maybe loss itself. It's all stigmas that need to be broken.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): While we're there, the team received a message from Premier League player and local Aaron Ramsdale. His wife Georgina
miscarried on a flight home following England's 2022 World Cup campaign.
AARON RAMSDALE, SOUTHAMPTON FC GOALKEEPER: Yes, I thought I'd give you a message and just say well done and we're all in different situations. But
when things like this happen, we're all in the same boat.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Support from players like Aaron is a small step towards Forget-Me-Not FC's new goal, expanding from Port Vale Football Club
to other professional football clubs across the U.K., something Aaron Way is trying to spearhead while navigating his own pain.
Last year, Aaron and his wife Jemma suffered the tragic loss of their baby girl during labor. Here, in the place where Willow should have been,
precious memories spent with her are cherished.
JEMMA HALL, LOST BABY DURING LABOR: We haven't got Willow. We weren't able to watch her change or grow. The only things we have got are those memories
from the time that we had with her. She's our daughter. She lives in everything that we do.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): In the darkest months of their lives, Aaron said the club pulled him out of a spiral of gambling and depression, and enabled
them as a couple to try again for a baby.
AARON WAY, MEMBER, FORGET-ME-NOT FC: Without having Forget-Me-Not, and having the dads that are involved, and especially like the likes of Sean
who helped set it up, I don't actually think I'd be here in, in all honesty, but it's also to know that you're around like minded men that have
gone through exactly the same journey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE (on-camera): Thank you so much to the dads at Forget-Me-Not FC and to Aaron and Jemma for opening their doors and their homes with us to
share that story. They're a team like no other. Do go and check them out or reach out to Aaron himself on Instagram and Facebook.
And I'll be back with more news in just a moment. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: Welcome back. From drug safety in the U.S. to digital health in Abu Dhabi, A.I. is moving fast from the lab to the clinic. Regulators are
already looking at tools that could predict harm before it happens. And that is what Abu Dhabi's M42 are now chasing in healthcare the idea is to
predict earlier, treat smarter and move care beyond the hospital.
[10:35:05]
On this episode of "Intelligent Future," Becky Anderson spoke to M42's CEO who says medicine is moving from reactive to predictive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ABU DHABI MANAGING EDITOR AND ANCHOR: So from your vantage point, what are you most excited about in the next five to 10
years?
DIMITRIS MOULAVASILIS, CEO, M42 GROUP: What we see today around us, it will look like a relic. Ten years down the road, people will be having a checkup
once a year, will be monitoring our health condition 24/7. We're going to have more inclusive societies, healthier populations, more productive
societies.
ANDERSON: So you're CEO at M42, which is an Abu Dhabi based global health care company. Tell us a little bit about M42 and a little bit about you?
MOULAVASILIS: M42, today we have a presence in 27 countries. We sit at the intersection of artificial intelligence, genomics, digital health
technology, and world class specialty care. We use A.I. both at the health system level, at the patient level, at the population level.
ANDERSON: There is this broad understanding that A.I. will be transformative in a very positive way for the health care sector. Do you
agree with that? And how?
MOULAVASILIS: I agree 100 percent. And I think that it will positively impact health care across main domains. In life sciences the speed in which
we develop drugs will convert several incurable diseases now to chronic diseases, or cure them in the long term. We see a massive productivity and
we see A.I. giving precise, predictive information to the physicians to deliver care.
I think we're going to see a closing of the different inequities across the planet. In our case, in the case of Abu Dhabi, we are tapping to genomics
data. Today M42 is the custodian of 3.9 billion clinical records to biological data through our newly introduced biobanks, even to
environmental data and utilizing all this data, we can predict disease both at a patient and population level. And we can act before it happens.
ANDERSON: What's the biggest burden on the Abu Dhabi health care system at present?
MOULAVASILIS: I would say the biggest burden are chronic diseases, oncology, cancer, cardiovascular-related diseases are diseases which are
preventable. And this is an area that Abu Dhabi, together with us, is looking to tackle, identify them early and ensure that they will not be
inherited also to the next generation.
ANDERSON: Dimitris, before joining M42, you served as head of one of the world's leading global renal care providers, which focused on A.I. and
advanced tech to provide high quality renal care at scale. M42 has just launched Kidney.com, which is an A.I. powered platform for chronic kidney
disease. I think that's a really good example of how you might best sort of explain the work that you are doing. So talk to me about that.
MOULAVASILIS: So I think we have two main breakthroughs. One is that we have developed an A.I. powered kidney care model, which ensures
personalization of the way the treatment is delivered. And we can predict conditions before they happen. At the same time, this comes with a
reduction of the cost of care of the system, as the patient has no complication.
ANDERSON: Kidney disease, as I understand it, is tied to long-term conditions like diabetes and hypertension. Does this point to a future
where patients get continuous support before they become seriously ill, rather than only entering the system once a disease has advanced? That's
the point, is it?
MOULAVASILIS: This is exactly the point. I mean, today, a patient during hemodialysis has to come every second day in one of the M42 clinics to
receive a kidney function for three and a half hours every second day. While our kidneys function 24/7, these patients have a kidney for three and
a half hours every second day.
[10:40:05]
We don't know what they are doing until they come back. With Kidney.com we aim to introduce a digital condition management system, which will be
retrieving data through wearables and we'll be using this data across the patient's life in order to optimize treatment and ensure the patient
longevity.
ANDERSON: So why Kidney.com? I can just go to surely Claude or ChatGPT and ask the same questions, right, at this point?
MOULAVASILIS: Because Kidney.com combines 35 years of hemodialysis, kidney care experience, from M42 Diaverum with the A.I. experience of M42. Today,
it has proper guardrails, so it does not hallucinate. Today it's hosted in instances in data centers, which ensures the right data privacy.
ANDERSON: How on earth are you ensuring the privacy, security and sort of ethics around the collection of that amount of data?
MOULAVASILIS: Let me say that there is a federal law which ensures the highest privacy of data. The data cannot be shared with private health
insurers to underwrite potentially coverage, a policy coverage, a policy, but most importantly, the data sit in sovereign safe environment and they
never leave this environment for any reason.
ANDERSON: If you were to name the three things that would make healthcare feel smarter, faster, and more personal in the next five years, what would
they be?
MOULAVASILIS: I think the availability of data, the interoperable data infrastructures and the ability to make research on this data, introduce
new biotech products, which will make breakthrough in many diseases that today remains one of the big challenges in the health systems.
ANDERSON: What's the most exciting sort of journey we're on at this point?
MOULAVASILIS: I would like to see A.I. truly democratizing care and providing the right care across the planet. And I would like to give you an
example. Greece today has 225 islands, most of them with less than 300 people. I would like to be able to build a multi-engineering A.I. clinical
support, which will be delivering this algorithmic, low acuity care at every island and connecting these people with the right physician when they
have a need. And I would like to do it within months and not within years.
ANDERSON: And is that where we're headed? Those sort of solutions are going to be very specific to some bespoke data. Right?
MOULAVASILIS: Exactly. And I think that patients will be trusting the known healthcare brands that deliver great care to use A.I. tools to help them
with their own condition. I do think that intelligence that today is being delivered by OpenAI, by Claude, by Google and others will be at the core of
these products. But what matters is all the expertise and what is around them. So the trusted healthcare providers using A.I. will gradually be the
solution for patients accessing for every kind of information they may require.
ANDERSON: You've been in the business of sort of international healthcare delivery for years. Why did you come to Abu Dhabi?
MOULAVASILIS: In Abu Dhabi, authorities treats healthcare as a national health infrastructure, and they are deploying all these long-term
investments, like in the areas of genomics, A.I., in life sciences, digital infrastructure, and what they built today is a system level, integrated
model, which can be, definitely be used as a blueprint of care for other countries to move towards predictive, preventive and personalized care at
scale.
ANDERSON: I ask because, you know, cities like Singapore, Seoul, London, Boston, are already using A.I. across significant parts of the healthcare
infrastructure. So I wonder what you think that Abu Dhabi edge is. And on the flip side of that, what it needs to do and where it still needs to
catch up.
MOULAVASILIS: I think the Abu Dhabi's edge is the integration of all this capability. Today in the UAE, we have introduced pharmacogenomics.
[10:45:04]
So today with a simple physician prescription, each patients know which is the right drug, which dose for the patient's genetic profile. This is
pretty unique. Its accessible across the population. I don't know any European country that can deliver such a service to be routine, for the
next five years potentially. So Abu Dhabi has an edge in translating all this capability to practical positive impact, both for the population.
ANDERSON: Thank you.
MOULAVASILIS: Thank you very much, Becky. Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: OK. Just ahead, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees joins me live ahead of International Day, honoring the plight of
people forcibly displaced across the world.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: In our reporting of the many conflicts around the world, we try to remember that behind every battlefield update and economic statistic,
are people. Saturday marks World Refugee Day held by the United Nations to honor those who have been forced to flee and 2026 marks 75 years since the
convention relating to the status of refugees was adopted. And as of the end of 2025, there were 117.8 million people across the globe forcibly
displaced from their homes. That's one in every 70 people in the world.
Barham Salih is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees at the beginning of this year. A former president of Iraq, he is the first person
from the Middle East to head the agency in nearly 50 years. He is himself a former refugee, having fled Saddam Hussein's regime, and says, "As a former
refugee, I know firsthand how protection and opportunity can change the course of a life."
And Barham Salih joins me now from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
Thank you so much for joining us today, sir, as we look ahead to that day tomorrow, and look with the many major conflicts and the state of the world
the way it is now, it's remarkable in some ways that the UNHCR released a report, I believe just recently, that showed that refugee numbers have
actually dropped for the first time in a decade by about, I think, 3 percent.
But I also want to point out that you say it's in part because returns of refugees are gathering pace, too, specifically for refugees from countries
like Afghanistan and Syria and Sudan. So I just want to get your thoughts on that. And also question whether you think that might be because at this
moment, apathy and hostility towards refugees is at an all-time high if refugees are choosing to return to those places of fear and conflicts they
once fled.
BARHAM SALIH, UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES: And many adverse conditions that compelled many of these refugees to go back and not
entirely voluntarily but clearly the pressure is difficult conditions. In the case of --
MACFARLANE: I'm afraid, Mr. Salih, we're having some problems with your audio, which is a real shame.
[10:50:06]
I'm hoping we can reestablish and we'll come back to you. But apologies for now. We just can't hear you, sir. But thank you.
We'll try and get that fixed and get back to Mr. Salih but let's move ahead. People across the U.S. will celebrate Juneteenth today. June 19th
marks the day enslaved African-Americans in Texas learned they were free more than two years after the Emancipation proclaimed was signed. While
it's a celebration, it's also a time to consider what needs to be done to protect the progress made since then.
CNN's Lynda Kinkade has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What are you most proud of?
RASHAUN KEMP, GEORGIA STATE SENATOR: I'm proud of the fact that still to this day, folks like me are making history.
KINKADE (voice-over): For Georgia State Senator RaShaun Kemp, freedom means leadership.
KEMP: I'm coming in representing 190,000 people in my district, 11 million Georgians, and I get to be a voice for them.
KINKADE (voice-over): For others, it's the chance to build a business.
CHANTEL POWELL, FOUNDER AND CEO, PLAY PITS: To be able to live without restrictions.
KINKADE (voice-over): And for students, it's the support to reach their full potential. Ten years ago, Enrique says he barely spoke English and
struggled with confidence.
ENRIQUE, BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS AWARD RECIPIENT: I felt alone, excluded.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 2026 Southeast Youth of the Year is Enrique from the Boys and Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County.
KINKADE (voice-over): Now at 18, he's the top youth leader for the Girls and Boys Clubs of America in the southeast, an organization that helps
young people succeed in school, prepare for careers, and develop leadership skills.
What has this club given you that other places couldn't?
ENRIQUE: The Boys and Girls Club really gave me a step forward. For the first time in a very long time, I saw a group of people who wanted to
listen to me.
KINKADE (voice-over): Enrique was an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, a nation shaped by its own complex history of slavery. Today, he's a
shining example of what's possible with the right support.
You're a boss. You're a brand maker. You're a business owner.
POWELL: Yes.
KINKADE: What are you most proud of?
POWELL: I think the thing I'm most proud of is, one, my kids being able to see what's possible.
KINKADE (voice-over): For entrepreneur Chantel Powell, economic independence remains one of the clearest measures of progress.
POWELL: My kids can now go into stores like CVS and Target and see the product on the shelves, and they remember when I was making it in the
kitchen.
KINKADE (voice-over): Her idea for a product began at home.
POWELL: Play Pits is the all-natural deodorant because my son at 6 was a smelly little boy. I wasn't able to find anything on the shelves, and so I
wanted something that was safe.
KINKADE (voice-over): Hustling hard, she grew that idea into a nationally distributed brand.
POWELL: This is our top seller. This one is Suga.
KINKADE: How many of these are you selling across the U.S. right now, on average a year?
POWELL: A year, we're probably selling around 150,000 to 200,000 units a year.
KINKADE: Wow.
POWELL: Yes, yes. Super proud of it.
KINKADE: And you are potentially going to expand this overseas?
POWELL: Potentially, one day, maybe.
KINKADE: You've been pursued by at least two countries.
POWELL: Yes. Yes.
KINKADE (voice-over): When a factory fire caused a setback, the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs stepped in to help.
POWELL: Having a space where I can take my meetings, connect with other people who've been able to help me in business has been really important.
SHAWN GRAHAM, EXECUTIVE VP AND COO, RUSSELL INNOVATION CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURS: There's a variety of products within this market for our
stakeholders.
KINKADE (voice-over): Russell Center executive vice president and chief operating officer Shawn Graham says it's working to help more entrepreneurs
succeed.
So in the last five years, on average, how many applicants are coming to you for help?
GRAHAM: I would say on an annual basis, anywhere approximately 600 to 700 applications annually.
KINKADE: And each of those applicants get a grant, they get mentorship, and they get connection.
GRAHAM: That's absolutely correct. Not all stakeholders will receive a grant. However, they will have access to our facility 24 hours a day, seven
days a week.
KINKADE: The story of emancipation is often sold through history, but its legacy still shapes debates here at the Capitol and in communities across
the U.S. Advocates say progress is measured by opportunity, access to education, economic mobility, and representation.
KEMP: We are, as Americans, get to, you know, exercise our right through our votes, and I think that is the ultimate example of freedom.
KINKADE (voice-over): Yet many see the promise of emancipation as not fully realized. Senator Kemp points to renewed efforts to roll back voting access
and modify election laws as evidence of the work that remains.
KEMP: With redistricting happening, you're seeing southern states rush to redraw maps, to erase black voices and representation.
KINKADE (voice-over): And bridging the inequality divide remains the biggest challenge.
KEMP: My Senate district is a perfect example of that. I represent Buckhead and Bankhead here in Atlanta, Georgia. You can drive a matter of seven
miles and your life expectancy drops by 20 years. That is something that we have to address.
[10:55:06]
KINKADE (voice-over): From government chambers to classrooms and boardrooms, many say the next chapter of freedom is being written through
opportunity.
KEMP: I am a perfect example of how far America has come, but I think that we have a great ways to still go.
ENRIQUE: There is so much power in giving a helping hand. I want to be that same kind of mentor for the next generation of club kids.
POWELL: Expect the no's. And the no's, don't let the no's stop you. Like, literally go and chase after your yes.
KINKADE (voice-over): Lynda Kinkade, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: And as we have a look to the World Cup this weekend, we just want to bring you a quick side effect of the fans fervor. Boston apparently
dealing with a shortage of beer. Bar owners blame the Tartan Army. Apparently, they say with Scotland fans in town, they've gone through four
times the amount of beer they would sell on a normal holiday weekend.
Well, godspeed, Boston, it's all ahead of you this weekend again.
And that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD this hour. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
