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Donald Trump Says Talks Set For Doha Tuesday At Iran's Request; Russia Faces Fuel Supply Strain As Queues Grow; Crews Race To Find Survivors As Death Toll Passes 1,450; Suco Lets States Receive Mail Ballots After Election Day; Iraq Prime Minister Launched Major Anti-Corruption Raids; Nine Out Of 10 African Teams Progress To Knockout Stage; Migrant Flee Threats Of Xenophobic Violence In South Africa; Comcast To Spin Off NBCUniversal In Major Restructure. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired June 29, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:50]
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi where the time
just after 6:00 in the evening.
Iranian and American technical teams are expected to meet in the coming days, according to a CNN source.
In Venezuela, the search continues to find survivors after twin earthquakes hit the country, but time is about to run out.
Dozens of politicians arrested in Iraq as the country's new prime minister cracked down -- cracks down on corruption.
And we begin in this region where diplomatic efforts could potentially resume between the U.S. and Iran as early as tomorrow. President Trump
posted this in the past few hours, saying, Iran has requested a meeting that will take place in Doha tomorrow. Diplomatic source tells CNN
technical teams will meet there sometime in the coming days. A source familiar with the talks tells me that they are confirmed tomorrow. Tehran,
though denying discussions are being scheduled.
Well, it follows a recent escalation in strikes. U.S. officials say Washington and Tehran are standing down for now, but Iran's position on
that is not clear. Julia Benbrook has more from Washington for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, despite those recent comments from the Iranians, President Donald Trump himself has now said that there are
plans for this meeting to take place in Doha, Qatar tomorrow, that matches what we had previously heard from an administration official.
But as you pointed out, there are a lot of questions on this, and how this plays out after all of the back and forth that took place in recent days
really started on Thursday, and escalated through the weekend. The main questions are, what does this mean for the ceasefire agreement, and what
does this mean for the ongoing negotiations?
A senior administration official tells me that the negotiations, the talks will continue as planned, going on to say nothing has been canceled.
Technical talks regarding the implementation of the MOU, the Memorandum of Understanding are on track for the coming days as planned, and
deconfliction channels are up and running after the Lake Lucerne Summit.
Now, that's referring to just last weekend when Vice President J.D. Vance led the delegation to Switzerland for the high-level, high-stakes talks,
really kicking off the technical talks here on the memorandum of understanding, and that agreement really is just a starting point. It
kicked off this 60-day time period to work through some of the top issues related to Iran's nuclear program, like the fate of its stockpile of highly
enriched uranium.
An official also tells us that the United States and Iran, both sides, have agreed to stand down for now to halt the fighting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, that's Julia Benbrook.
Iran and the UAE meantime have resumed direct commercial flights for the first time since the Iran war began four months ago, a FlySepehran airlines
flight from Tehran landed in Dubai earlier. A return flight is scheduled later today. The UAE was, of course, heavily targeted by Iran during the
war. The resumption of direct flights marks another sign of tentative diplomatic and economic action.
Well, Russian President Vladimir Putin makes a rare confession, he said at the weekend the country is facing a difficult period as shortages of fuel
emerge in many parts of Russia. Drivers are facing long queues at filling stations, Putin blaming the shortages on Ukrainian drone strikes on the oil
industry and says a task force is working to put it right.
CNN's Clare Sebastian tracking the latest developments, and she joins us now. It's been the impact of these shortages on Russian civilians, and what
should we make of what are sort of quite unusually sort of pessimistic sort of comments, as it were, from President Putin.
[10:05:13]
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky, look, I think what's clear is, while the Russian people have seen disruptions caused by these
Ukrainian drone strikes before, we've seen localized fuel shortages in various areas. They're used to things now like flight disruptions and
cancelations.
This is on a slightly different level. We're seeing in multiple dozens of different regions around Russia facing fuel shortages. Videos are emerging
of lines outside gas stations. The video that think you just showed was a CNN video of a petrol station just outside Moscow, just on the road,
actually to Putin's out-of-town residence.
So, look, this is now hitting close to home. Anything that hits Moscow is politically sensitive for Putin.
So, what we saw on Sunday was a bit of a P.R. blitz from him. First, he had a meeting with top energy bosses, talking about this, and then he sat down
for a very long interview, more like a sort of extended statement with a state T.V. journalist, where he really tried to, I think, play this down a
little bit, while at the same time redirecting, crucially, the population to blame Ukraine for this, rather than to have any of it bounce back
towards him.
He said that, you know, the strikes on civilian infrastructure, he played up the idea that this is civilian infrastructure are being carried out not
only to inflict damage on Russia, but really as what he called an information operation to try and create a schism in Russian society and try
to force them to stop what they're doing on the front lines in Ukraine.
So, obviously, he then said it wouldn't work, and Russia will continue with its goals, but I think frankly Ukraine perhaps wouldn't disagree with there
being a P.R. element to this to signal to the Russian people that this is not a special military operation but an all-out war.
And I think partly also to signal to the U.S. president, who has been warming to Ukraine recently, that the sort of narrative of inevitable
victory for Russia is not necessarily a given, and Ukraine's drone strikes have been increasing in power and force, and I think it's really now having
an impact on Russian refineries and reverberating back onto the Russian people, who are already paying a price for this war, Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, Clare. Thank you.
Well, first responders from around the world are in Venezuela, looking for earthquake victims and survivors on what is a fifth day. Sporadic rescues
are still being made, even as the death toll mounts. More than 1,400 people are now sadly confirmed to have died. More than 3,000 are injured. Many
others, many more are missing. Their families holding on to hope that their loved ones will beat the odds.
CNN's Stefano Pozzebon traveled to the devastated coastal area north of Caracas, where tense rescue efforts were still underway.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): Rescue workers are digging their way through rubble and dust to locate survivors in La Guaira. Trapped
for days under a pile of collapsed homes. The port city is ground zero for the Venezuelan earthquake search and rescue operation. This elite rescue
team from the U.S. believe they've heard the tap, tap from under the debris.
POZZEBON: They try to communicate with them with sound. And this is why this is truly a race against time. But it's a race against time that is
happening in utter silence. Nobody dares to speak. Nobody dares to shout because a sound could mean a life saved.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's an elevator, too, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Next to the centers?
POZZEBON: Now all of this is happening as the relatives of the people trapped inside and other survivors are staying here. They're waiting.
They're watching. It's an excruciating way for someone who has a seven- year-old son trapped beneath the rubble.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Ronald Pinarua has not slept since Wednesday. He was out when the quakes hit. His son was with his grandmother at home. Amen.
I will find my son today, he says. I know I will. It's now or never for thousands of people who are still missing. Most earthquake survivors are
rescued within 72 hours. These rescue workers say they will continue to dig until everyone is accounted for.
The Venezuelan government estimates more than 12,000 people have been displaced. They all need a place to sleep and eat.
POZZEBON: We've just arrived to a fast food. It's a fried chicken restaurant, but they've been turned into a community kitchen. Basically all
of these people are now working in a train to bring out 1,500 ready meals. It's fried chicken and fries. But that will fuel both displaced and
volunteers that are trying to help.
[10:10:15]
POZZEBON (voice-over): At this restaurant. Everyone lives in La Guaira. Everyone has lived through the double earthquake, but nobody wants to rest.
It's the strength of a community who refuses to give up despite the reality.
By sunset, the search stopped. Ronald was found along with his grandmother under the rubble, the latest victim in a tragedy that's already taken more
than 1,400 lives. It will still take days to recover their remains, but the pain will stay forever.
Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, La Guaira, Venezuela.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear President Trump's appeal of the verdict in the E. Jean Carroll case. Now, a jury
found that he, of course, sexually abused and defamed Carroll, you'll remember, and ordered him to pay her $5 million. Well, the president's
appeal had been delayed for months at the Supreme Court, which repeatedly set it for discussion, and then rescheduled its discussion.
The Supreme Court is issuing major rulings today as it nears the end of its term, one just announced involves mail-in ballots. Let me get you to our
U.S. constitutional law expert, David Schultz. He's a distinguished professor at Hamline University in the department's political science,
environmental, and legal studies world.
Let's start with that. Thank you for joining us. Let's start with the first opinion delivered just moments ago. As long as ballots are postmarked by
and received within five days of election day, they can be counted. What do you make of the decision?
DAVID SCHULTZ, DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR, HAMLINE UNIVERSITY: this is a big victory for voting rights and a big loss for Donald Trump, who has been
arguing, you know, consistently that either they're fake, they're fraud, or whatever, in terms of mail-in ballots, and has insisted that any mail-in
ballots have to be received by election day.
And what the Supreme Court said in a five four opinion here, a divided opinion, here Coney Barrett, writing the majority opinion, is that while
federal law decides the day of the election, it's up to state law to determine when the ballots have to be received, and so long as voters who
are voting by mail have it postmarked before election day, in this case, it's OK for the state of Mississippi to say that as long as the ballots are
received by us no later than five days after the election, we're going to count them.
So, this is a, again, people would argue a big victory for voting rights and a loss for Donald Trump.
ANDERSON: Right. So, Alaska backing Mississippi in this right, these are states where a lot of people vote by mail, and to our international viewer,
this just might seem like a bit of a sort of logistical small issue, but it's not. Why was this such a big case in the United States?
SCHULTZ: OK, a big -- it's a big case for a variety of reasons. One of them is that over time, initially Republicans had an advantage for mail-in
voting, then it shifted over to Democrats, and for a while Democrats, especially working women, younger people, people of color were taking
advantage of early voting, and Donald Trump was arguing, and Republicans were arguing that these -- again, these were ballots that were either
fraudulent or fake, or just arguing that it was giving too much of an advantage to Democrats.
Now the reality is lots of Republicans, especially since the pandemic, are also voting by mail, and it's become a pretty universal process here, but
there seems to be some evidence, some evidence that this helps people who are voting Democrat, and what Donald Trump has been very upset by is,
especially, for example, in 2020 where it looked like on election night he was ahead in places like Wisconsin, and that, but when all the ballots were
counted, he was actually losing. He actually lost.
ANDERSON: Can I just get your thoughts on the U.S. Supreme Court declining to hear President Trump's appeal of the verdict in the E. Jean Carroll
case, as well.
SCHULTZ: Sure. Now, first off, remember that that was a state case, and generally the federal courts aren't going to hear cases unless they raise
some type of significant federal question, and here there really is no indication, you know -- you know -- you know that any kind of federal
question was being raised in terms of due process or equal protection, or let's say First Amendment, or something like that.
[10:15:17]
So, this is interesting, because in so many different ways, Donald Trump has benefited from the Supreme Court in terms of personal matters. For
example, the Supreme Court last year, what the year before, basically ruling that most of his activity taking place in the White House was beyond
criminal prosecution.
But here, again, we're speculating the court may be seeing no federal question, or maybe saying that here, these are activities that did not take
place while you were president of the United States, and we see no reason to get involved in a state matter that didn't involve you as president of
the United States.
So, for on one level, it's a loss for Donald Trump, but on a larger sense, it probably doesn't change any of the legal dynamics involving the
presidency or Donald Trump.
ANDERSON: Always good to have you, sir. It is a busy time ahead of the recess period for the Supreme Court, and I'm sure we will call on you again
in the days ahead, before the end of that session. Thank you.
Ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, Iraq's new prime minister takes on corruption, armed groups, and a delicate balancing act between Washington and Tehran.
More on that after this.
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ANDERSON: Right, Iraq's new prime minister has launched a sweeping anti- corruption crackdown, with Iraqi media reporting that dozens of politicians and senior officials were detained in overnight raids. Now, authorities say
the operations are aimed at fighting suspected corruption across state institutions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALI AL-ZAIDI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): This campaign is only the beginning. The issue of corruption is not over. We continue to
fight it. Anyone who has public funds must return the funds to their owners. The people's money must return to the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: With me here is Mina Al-Oraibi, editor-in-chief at The National, and real Iraq expert, I regularly ask you to join me on this show when
there is news out of Iraq, and it is such an important country when we look not just at the country for its people but the wider region, and that's
what I want to talk to you about today. But let's just start with what we've seen over the last 48 hours, what's your take on these arrests, the
seizure of millions of dollars in cash and gold and properties? Who is this new prime minister, and what's he up to?
[10:20:10]
MINA AL-ORAIBI, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE NATIONAL: So, corruption is Iraq's biggest problem. We talk about militias, militias wouldn't exist if they
weren't able to siphon off money, electricity 23 years after the war to remove Saddam Hussein still is a huge problem for people.
It all goes down to corruption, and so for any prime minister coming in, they all give pledges of tackling corruption, and we've had the previous
prime ministers, Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, and those before him, all make small moves to tackle corruption. Ali Al-Zaidi, this
new prime minister, has come in quite bold, and it's not him alone, of course, he's working with the judiciary and the forces we saw yesterday
making the arrests with the counterterrorism forces that report directly to the prime minister.
And the moves against these people, the vast majority of Iraqis feel that this is a real move against corruption, but it's only a part of a much
bigger equation of the kleptocracy in the country.
ANDERSON: And let's talk about the bigger picture, the kleptocracy in the country, the support that this Prime Minister is getting from this U.S.
administration, which many say have emboldened his actions at present, and the wider regional story here about Iran-backed militia in Iraq. Many
people around this region tell me that Iraq has become a more important and significant place for Iran than Lebanon, which we hear a lot of talk about
through the Iran-backed Hezbollah at this point. Your thoughts.
AL-ORAIBI: So, Iraq, because of 800 kilometers of border it shares with Iran allows Iran and Iranian not only officials, soldiers, militia people
to cross back and forth. When there were protests against the Iranian regime at the beginning of this year, there were armed men taken from Iraq
into Iran to help squash the protest.
So, it's hugely important geographically, hugely important, because from Iraq, and this is the battle against corruption, partly is to stop money
being siphoned off to Iran. Iran has been able to get away from the sanctions imposed by the U.S. and the U.N. because of money coming in from
Iraq.
In Lebanon, Iran spends money on Hezbollah fighters, so it's a different dynamic. And of course, with Syria now out of the equation, it is much
harder for Iran to get to Hezbollah and Lebanon.
So, the geography again plays such an important role, because before Iran got its wish come true when it would go through Iraq, through Syria, into
Lebanon on the border with Israel, that's now gone, but Iraq becomes that much more important as its kind of last line of defense to push through
this narrative of the axis of resistance being with a football hold in Iraq.
ANDERSON: The sheer crescent, as we want to call it, back in the day, as it were.
AL-ORAIBI: I always had problems with that.
ANDERSON: That's my reason for saying as we will want to say, and probably, you know, should have been pulled up on it at the time.
Al-Zaidi, the new prime minister, set to visit D.C. next month. What is his relationship with the Trump administration? How conditional do you believe
is the support that he appears to have, not least through Tom Barrack , who is the U.S. special envoy to not just Iraq, but Syria and Turkey. How
conditional is that support on the P.M.'s ability to rein in these Iran- backed militia?
AL-ORAIBI: The Americans have made it very clear publicly, but also privately, in the meetings that Iraq's had with not only Prime Minister Al-
Zaidi, but also increasingly we see a political role for the head of the Iraqi judiciary for Al-Zaidi.
Now, technically speaking the judiciary should not get involved in the politics, but in Iraq nothing actually works as it technically should.
And so, the message has been clear from the American administration. First of all, President Trump going out publicly and saying that Nouri al-Maliki
cannot come back as Prime Minister is the reason that Al-Zaidi today finds himself as Prime Minister. We only had a different prime minister
altogether, going back in time with the Nouri al-Maliki.
So, the very direct interjection of the U.S. allowed Al-Zaidi to become prime minister, and on top of that, he's had meetings where he has been
told very clearly pushed back against the militias. The U.S. launched something called Operation Economic Fury, and Economic Fury is targeting
not only the Iranian regime, but also sanctioning militia groups in Iraq, and demanding that there is accountability of where the money is being
siphoned off.
And Tom Barrack made very clear to Al-Zaidi that the U.S. can be a great ally, but will not turn a blind eye to the support of militia groups, but
also corruption, so they have to prove seriousness, this government, which is only formed, by the way, halfway, we still don't have a new Minister of
Defense, no Minister of Interior.
So, there's a lot of internal dynamics that's broken, but Prime Minister Al-Zaidi clearly wants to give a signal to Washington, I'm serious, I will
take bold action. Let's see how long it goes. In Iraq, we've had arrests happen before, and very quickly cases dropped, but if he stays forth with
not only the arrests, but also a wider circle of corruption networks, he'll get a lot of support from the U.S. because they've made that now a
priority.
[10:25:13]
ANDERSON: The U.S. and Iran talks absolutely central to what is going on in this region, and where we are headed next. You've made the point that Iraq
is so central to Iran's influence, perhaps more so than in Lebanon at present.
I just want to close out with the following, because if a picture is worth a thousand words, what do you make of the following? The Iranian Foreign
Minister Abbas Araghchi in Baghdad meeting Iraqi leaders.
Meantime, the Iraqi foreign minister in Damascus in Syria, as we speak. What do these images tell you about Iraq's role in the region right now and
going forward?
AL-ORAIBI: So, you're right to call up those two big movements. The Iranian foreign minister is in Iraq, and the Iraqis are saying we'd like to restart
some sort of meeting between Gulf partners and Iran.
At the moment, Iraq has to prove that it would actually be neutral territory, because in the eyes of many Arabs, Iraq is too close to Tehran
and too influenced by it, but we'll wait and see.
The Iraqi foreign minister going to Syria, first visit since the removal of Bashar al-Assad, hugely consequential, and of course Tom Barrack being
ambassador to Syria, really pushing on the importance of an Iraq-Syria nexus that can help not only economically oil flows, but also a new kind of
Arab center that in the Levant, that is pushing back against Iran. A containment of Iran requires success in Iraq, and so that's why these
moments and these meetings, exactly as you said, these pictures tell a thousand words of could Iraq be. Stabilize and stand up to be an important
Arab player in the region.
ANDERSON: It's always good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. Mina Al-Oraibi in the house for you, important stuff. Thank you.
Well, now more on the Supreme Court's major rulings today. I want to get back to the states, as the Supreme Court does, of course, near the end of
its current term, another big one, involving President Trump's effort to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. David Schultz back with us.
The Supreme Court allowing Lisa Cook then to remain in her role at the Fed, but they are sending this back to a lower court, as I understand it. So,
your analysis, if you will, sir.
SCHULTZ: Sure, it's a 6-3 rule, or actually, correct myself, it's a 5-4 ruling at this point, and it's all about what we call in law school a
procedural posture that Trump wanted to fire her, and what the court said is that under the statute there the phrasing says that could only be
removed for cause. She has to be entitled, that is, Cook has to be entitled to some type of due process or hearing.
And because the court said there wasn't adequate hearing or due process, they're not going to allow the president to go forward with firing her.
Send it back to lower courts. It may still be possible at a lower at some point after a lower court hears the case and she has due process that he
might be able to dismiss her, but for now the court is not letting Donald Trump proceed with removing her from the Federal Reserve.
And it emphasized, again, I think both the posture and also the, let us say, the statute that basically created the for cause requirement.
ANDERSON: So, again, just to sort of underscore where we are at, does this decision then limit the president's firing power, or is this simply about
sort of Lisa Cook's due process?
SCHULTZ: It's more about due process, and we have to read this case in light of another decision that just came down right after it, which is the
6-3 opinion for slaughter, where he -- where Trump wanted to dismiss two Federal Trade Commission appointees, because they were Democrats, and in
that case the Supreme Court said you can proceed and go ahead and dismiss them, that the Constitution gives broad authority to the president as
executive to be able to determine who's in his administration.
And so, I read this as very nuanced in terms of the two opinions here, that generally, if you read the two cases together, president has broad leeway
to be able to dismiss people within his administration, especially appointee level type of people, presidential appointee level people, but in
the case of the Federal Reserve, the court seems to be either carving out an exception and saying it's different for the Federal Reserve, or saying
that the dismissal came without following proper procedure.
[10:30:08]
So, I would still say, in general, that the Court today is giving broad authority to the president to be able to remove people that he appoints,
again, subject to some, but at least with the -- with the Federal Reserve Board, some qualification, but -- go ahead.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes. It's really good to have you, David, because we are getting sort of, you know, some decisions here,
sort of relatively quickly, and we still expect further decisions on some really important issues before the end of this session.
(CROSSTALK)
SCHULTZ: Yes.
ANDERSON: So, I think we've got a few days left. We were, of course, expecting to get more today, and you've just been talking about Trump
versus slaughter.
So, I guess if we step back and consider, you know, the wider story here, and perhaps, for our international viewers, the wider story, very
specifically, is, you know, are we today seeing a court, you know, voting or delivering decisions, which are wins for Donald Trump or not, do you
believe?
(CROSSTALK)
SCHULTZ: OK, OK.
ANDERSON: Sort of, you know, what's the weight here?
SCHULTZ: Today, I would still say that in general, the decisions today are with -- are let's say qualified wins for the president when it comes to
appointment power, a loss when it comes to voting. It's going back to the Watson case, you know, the Watson, you know, the Watson case, at this point
here.
But if we were to take even a further step back on this one, is that, so far, Trump has done reasonably well this term. He lost the tariff case.
There may be a couple of other cases that he loses, but in general, this is a Court that has been sympathetic to presidential power and sympathetic to
Donald Trump.
I'd be, you know, I'm both a political scientist and a law professor. And we sometimes want to argue that that the Supreme Court, which is our
constitutional court for international viewers, is supposed to be acting neutrally. But as a political scientist, we have a lot of evidence that the
Court does take, or does have a bias to it, and this is a court that is what? Six-three appointed by Republicans, of which three of those people
are appointed by Donald Trump.
So, he has a pretty favorable court at this point, and he is only losing cases at this point where he has acted so out of line that the more
centrist Republicans are not supporting him, such as like Roberts and Barrett. So, but generally I would say, he has done better than most people
expect.
ANDERSON: Fascinating, and more to come, and we will have you back to provide your sort of learned analysis and insight as and when we get these
decisions delivered.
David, thank you so much. And we are back after this quick break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:35:38]
Welcome back. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Here are your headlines this hour.
Donald Trump says talks with -- will take place with Iran on -- in Doha on Tuesday, despite Tehran earlier denying that any discussions were
scheduled.
It comes after a Trump administration official said U.S. .and Iranian military forces are standing down following the exchange of attacks over
the weekend. Iran's position on that is unclear at this point.
Well, search teams in Venezuela are listening for signs of life in destroyed buildings for a fifth day. The death toll from last week's
earthquakes has risen to more than 1,400. More than 3,000 people are injured, and the government says more than 12,000 have lost their homes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country is facing fuel shortages after Ukrainian drone strikes targeted Russian oil infrastructure. He says
a task force is now working around the clock to maintain supplies, and that a ban on diesel exports is also under consideration.
Right. Well, the 2026 World Cup has been a roaring success so far for African football, at least. Of the 10 African teams taking part, nine
advanced to the knockout stages, a quantum leap compared to earlier World Cups. All the stakes getting higher as we get into the round of 32, which
is knockout, of course, and already we have seen one African faller, with South Africa beaten by co-host Canada on Sunday.
Later today, Brazil take on Japan for a place in the last 16.
Well, let's bring in Jasmine Garsd, a correspondent and NPR, and the host of the Last Cup podcast. Sorry, I seem to be mangling your name and your
title there. Apologies, Jasmine.
So, let's do -- let's do these African teams, because I really like this. I really like this story. Nine out of the 10 African teams getting into the
knockout stage. What do you believe that's down to?
JASMINE GARSD, PODCAST HOST, "THE LAST CUP": I mean, I think it's just like a beautiful story. First of all, you know, there were a lot of complaints
about FIFA really expanding this championship to include almost 50 countries, but what the fact that they did that allowed teams that, you
know, haven't maybe been in the championship before, and we are seeing this.
But also, with these African teams, it really is a story of diaspora returning home. You know, it's a story of immigrants and children of
immigrants, you know, choosing to come back and play either for their parents' home country --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Yes.
GARSD: Or for their home country, rather than a big, glamorous European team, and we are really seeing that. It's so beautiful.
ANDERSON: And we hope that they will go further, because, of course, we are at the knockout stages now, it would be really disappointing if we saw, you
know, a bunch of African teams fall out of the competition at this stage.
Not least Cape Verde, whose performances, of course, have thrilled everyone at their first World Cup. They are through to the knockouts, still
unbeaten. What can -- what do you believe we can hope for them in this stage of the tournament?
GARSD: I mean, the knockout stage, as the name says, the knockout stage is grueling, physically, and it is, you know, like there is no ties anymore.
And I would say that is like one of the weaknesses of a team like Cape Verde, right? Like it -- it's really amazing defensively.
They have Vosinha, they have what they call, parking the bus. Right? Like, they are just like you are not getting through that defense. But at this
stage, you have to start making goals, you have to start winning and doing more than tying.
But I think everyone is so excited to see them face off against defending champions, Argentina. I think, you know, Friday's game is going to be so
exciting.
ANDERSON: Yes. Listen, I don't know how fans of Iran's World Cup team. And I'm just, you know, there are many fans, I think, who are not Iranian, and
I'm a big fan of the Iran team, and I know how Iranians themselves feel about them getting dropped in the first stage of this tournament.
[10:40:10]
And it did feel just so, so painful, and frankly, so wrong the way that they went out. What do you make of that? Because that sort of brings us
back to this whole new kind of setup, 48 teams playing, and how those that don't make it to the knockout stages are sort of dropped out.
GARSD: I mean, I think, particularly with the case of Iran, you know, there is -- there is this whole discussion of, you know, don't mix soccer and
politics, don't mix sports and politics. And frankly, I think, that's ludicrous. I mean, sport is inextricably tied to politics. The World Cup is
tied to politics.
Soccer teams are soft power for countries, and hosting a World Cup is soft power. And, you know, what has happened with Iran, which many fans have
said is egregious, is, you know, it's a -- it's a soccer team that has endured a lot longer travel times and wait times and a more grueling
schedule because of this whole situation where they were having to commute back to Mexico, after the games. And sometimes reporting a commute of four
hours, many hours, you know, a travel distance, which usually is like quite short, actually.
ANDERSON: Well, you say tomato, I say tomato, you say soccer, I say football. It's been a pleasure.
GARSD: Yes.
ANDERSON: Nonetheless, to speak to you today. Thank you very much, Jasmine, for joining us. Thank you.
We are back after this quick break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Thousands of migrants say they are leaving South Africa, fearing for their lives. Anti-migrant rhetoric has been building for months, along
with threats and acts of violence against "to the foreigners".
Well, queues can be seen outside consulates and repatriation centers as many immigrants hurry to leave the country by the end of June. That's the
date announced by some activists as so-called deadline for foreigners to clear out.
Well, CNN correspondent Larry Madowo, joining us live from outside the Malawi Consulate in Johannesburg in South Africa, and just describe what
you are hearing, seeing on the ground.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, there are a few hundred people here, maybe about 700, 800 or so. Some of whom have been
here the last few days with their kids, with all their belongings, and they are finally getting on the busses to go back to Malawi. That's going to be
a few days of a trip to get back to Malawi. So, we are just going to follow one group here, and many of them tell us they could no longer stay where
they have been living, they could no longer work where they have been working, because they were told they have to leave or they will go back
home in a casket.
[10:45:08]
So, what you are seeing here is after days of waiting outside their consulate here in Johannesburg, they are finally getting the few belongings
they could pick and heading back to Malawi.
It's going to be a long, long journey to get there, but at least for many of them, a sense of relief because anti-migrant groups here in South Africa
have set a deadline for 30th June. That is tomorrow, for them to leave the country, because they say and accuse many of these African migrants of
taking over their country and straining the resources here in South Africa.
Unemployment is quite high here, and many of the South Africans were unemployed and excluded from the economy feel that these African migrants
from places like Malawi are the ones responsible for the economic strain they see here.
And so, tomorrow, they are expecting a huge amount of protests in many parts of the country as that deadline comes to a close, and they are asking
migrants from places like Malawi to leave the country.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Right.
MADOWO: And so, Becky, some African countries have already begun repatriating the citizens --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: So --
MADOWO: Yes. Go ahead, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, no. I've just -- and thank you.
I mean, leave the country or what? What's, what's the threat at this point? I mean, what, what, what are -- what are these anti-migrant groups saying
will happen should these individuals not leave by the deadline?
MADOWO: Some of them have been told expressly that if they don't leave, but when it's still safe for them to leave, they will go back in a coffin. That
is a threat.
And so, many of these people we have been speaking to tell us that they fear for their lives, that they cannot live in the communities that where
they have been living, because they could get attacked and they could get killed, some of them have kids who were born here in South Africa, but
remain undocumented.
So, this is the only way out for them, even though they don't have jobs where they're going back to in places like Malawi. At least, they will feel
safe.
The South African government says nobody will get attacked, and they are spending -- they are spending a lot of money to keep everyone safe. But
often, when these protests have happened, some have taken that opportunity for looting and for violence, and that is a fear behind these people going
back to where they came from.
ANDERSON: And Larry, how many people are we talking about here? When you -- when you look across the country, who are these -- you know, how many
people are these anti-migrant activists, as we want to call them. How many people are they targeting? What's the scale of this issue?
MADOWO: There is a problem about illegal immigration in South Africa. Part of it is because South Africa is an economic magnet for countries in the
region that don't do as well economically as South Africa.
The other is there is some corruption where South African passports, South African I.D. documents have been sold by some unscrupulous people who work
for the government. But so far, the official estimates for migrants in South Africa is about four percent, just a tiny percentage of the
population.
Obviously, there is many more who are undocumented, who are not accounted for in official statistics, but there is still a huge, a small percentage
of the overall number. But the anti-migrant sentiment has built up over months, and for many, we want to protest islands away to today. They say
it's time for them to leave, they can go back and fix their own countries, and South Africa should be for South Africans.
ANDERSON: Yes, fascinating. Larry, it's really good to have you on the ground, mate. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. Larry Madowo
there, live for you in Johannesburg, in South Africa.
You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. There is a lot more ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:50:12]
ANDERSON: Comcast is splitting up its media empire in what is a major shakeup of the U.S. entertainment industry.
Now, the company says it will spin off NBCUniversal and its European media business, Sky, into a new publicly traded company. The deal still requires
regulatory approval.
Let's get you to our CNN chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, who is across this. I mean, this is a really significant story. So, let's just start with
why Comcast is seeking this breakup now, Brian.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Well, analysts believe that Comcast is positioning itself for a new round of merger and acquisition activity.
Exactly how that will play out, remains to be seen. But Comcast stock has been languishing for years and has been declining really notably in recent
months. So, it seems the company is trying to unlock value, to use a Wall Street phrase, and trying to convince shareholders that the two different
sides of the house are more valuable when they are separate.
But we heard the opposite when this company was formed 15 years ago. When Comcast bought NBCUniversal, it was a landmark moment in the media
business. It was the marriage of content and distribution, bringing together assets like NBC and Bravo and the universal movie studio, putting
them with one of the country's biggest broadband and cable providers.
But a lot has changed in the U.S. media market in the last 15 years, just as it has all around the world.
So, now Comcast breaking itself apart. And it's notable this involves Sky as well. Sky, the European media conglomerate, which has been run pretty
separately by Comcast in recent years. It's going to be going over with NBC on the content side of the house.
Now, this is probably a precursor for additional M&A activity. Analysts have been expecting this ever since Paramount announced its bid for Warner
Bros. Discovery, including CNN. That deal may take effect in the coming months, but it's not the end of a M&A round, just the beginning, as all
these other big players try to figure out what to buy, what to sell, how to position themselves in a world that's increasingly controlled by tech
players like Apple and Amazon and Google.
What you see here is Comcast trying to simplify its business, knowing that's what Wall Street will reward right now.
ANDERSON: It's fascinating. Isn't it? And the deja vu here in all of this. I mean, we had the same thing, of course, when AT&T bought WarnerMedia back
in, what was it '21, '22?
And then, the same story when AT&T sort of pulled out of that in favor of the Discovery deal, of course.
So, it does feel as if we have kind of heard and seen this story before. You are absolutely right to talk about the kind of, you know, monumental
change in what is primarily the sort of U.S. media and entertainment space, but that, of course, cascades, you know, right around the world, because
many of these companies have got global assets, including, you know, the Paramount Skydance deal with Warner Brothers, which, of course, is the deal
that will impact CNN as well.
Where are we headed in all of this, Brian?
STELTER: Well, as you are referring to, it -- if you zoom out long enough, if you take, if you cover this long enough, you see the entire media
business history, it's bundling and then, unbundling. Bundling and then unbundling again. And some of these CEOs and bankers get more and more rich
every time they do it.
As for the rest of us, I think what we're seeing is an increasing move control of tech companies owning content, owning media. Whether it's Amazon
buying the MGM studio, whether it's Netflix considering, and then, trying to bid for Warner Brothers, but losing out to Paramount.
There is a lot of speculation today that Netflix will try to bid for NBCUniversal and try to buy up the Universal movie studio, try to buy up
NBC and the Peacock streaming service.
So, whether it's Netflix, whether it's Amazon, whether it's Apple, it is increasingly these tech giants that want to be in the business of content,
and they are essentially the new players taking control from an older generation of legacy media owners.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Right. What about these spin-offs? Then, who -- where do you see, you know, potential owners? Who would they be? I mean, we hear a lot about
sort of the private equity market being interested in these sort of legacy, sort of cable companies and stuff.
(CROSSTALK)
STELTER: Right.
ANDERSON: They made a lot of money still, albeit for, you know, relatively short sort of period of time, one assumes. So, yes, you know, where do you
see the interest around these assets that are being spun off?
STELTER: Right. That's why I mentioned Netflix right away as one possibility. Netflix was willing to buy and bid big time for Warner
Brothers. So, will it want to buy -- another chance to buy a movie studio.
But there is a different side of this as well. Comcast, biggest broadband and cable provider in the U.S.
[10:55:02]
The number two is Charter. There is a lot of speculation today that Charter and Comcast will get together, and Charter stock is way up on that
possibility.
A lot of this ultimately is to trying to get these languishing, beleaguered stocks to finally move in a marketplace that is tech and A.I. oriented. So,
what's Comcast doing today? Using the word A.I. a lot, claiming to be a technology company and not an old-fashioned distributor. So, there is some
of that going on here as well.
ANDERSON: That A.I. wrapper still got some luster to it, hasn't it? And I'm sure it will continue for some time. Always a pleasure to have you, Brian.
Thank you very much, indeed.
STELTER: Thanks.
ANDERSON: Right. Well, that is it from CONNECT THE WORLD. From the team working with me here in Abu Dhabi, it is a very good evening. It's been a
busy day regionally, but we've got a lot of other news going on. So, do stay with CNN. Of course, "ONE WORLD" is up next.
See you same time, same place tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
