Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Rescuers in Venezuela Free Man Trapped under Collapsed Parking Lot; Economic Contrasts between Reality and America 250 Celebrations; OpenAI Could Give U.S. Government 5 Percent Stake in Company; U.S.-Israel War with Iran; World Cup Highlights; Swift-Kelce Rehearsal Today at Madison Square Garden; Daredevil Couple Arraigned after Scaling Empire State Building. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired July 02, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): And you're watching the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD in Venezuela. Breaking news amid the tragic loss of
life. A near miraculous story of survival and rescue.
In the last few minutes, emergency crews managed to free a man who'd been stuck under the rubble of a parking garage since twin earthquakes more than
a week ago. The effort to free 44-year-old Hernan Gil took more than 2.5 days.
That rescue operation a rare glimpse of light in a country reeling from disaster. More than 2,200 people are now known to have been killed. And
unfortunately, that number is expected to rise. Let's get you on the scene for the very latest from La Guaira in Venezuela. My colleague, CNN's Isa
Soares, is there.
ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Becky, what a scene it is. So many days (INAUDIBLE) of loss and misery. What I have witnessed here today,
a change of scenery.
I saw rescue teams from every corner of the world, Becky, from Costa Rica to Portugal, the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, all hugging and
applauding because, for more than 100 hours, Herculean task of trying to get out, trying to free 44-year-old man who now, behind the barriers behind
me.
But this was a shopping mall and Hernan here was a security guard in the building behind me. He was, according to the Red Cross I was speaking to on
ground minus two on Sunday. Just to give viewers a sense of time on Sunday, according to the Red Cross, at about 1 pm, one of the people here started
screaming, "Can you hear me?"
And he responded. That's when this started, this huge, mammoth effort from rescue teams all over the world to try and rescue him. They've been
(INAUDIBLE), they've been shipped (ph) doing shifts on rescue teams, more than 10 days, trying to (INAUDIBLE).
And the reason they've been able to do this so incredibly. (INAUDIBLE) like a movie. (INAUDIBLE) Something out of a movie, a Hollywood movie is because
the crew tubes, they've been able to give them liquids. They've been able to give him medicine.
And even one Red Cross lady was saying to me, baby food, liquids to try and keep him alive in terms of his conditions. For viewers who may be worried
he's being taken from here and he's gone to a hospital by being told he's doing well. A true miracle (INAUDIBLE).
ANDERSON: And Isa, thank you for that.
And apologies for the quality of the audio. I'm sure you'll forgive us for that as we get you on the ground there for what has been a, you know, a
moment of a miracle, quite frankly.
I want to bring in and back for you Elias Ferrer, who I was speaking to about 15 minutes ago.
You're in Caracas.
Firstly, can you just give us a sense of, how important this moment has been in what has been such a very bleak story of death and devastation over
the last week or so, Elias?
ELIAS FERRER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GUACAMAYA: So I think we need to put this into perspective in the sense that, if this was maybe the way things were
last year politically, right, with Nicolas Maduro and sanctions and so on, we wouldn't be in this situation with loads of teams from all over the
world.
Especially, you know, let's say countries with right-wing governments, you know, starting with like, you know, the U.S. or El Salvador and so on, they
wouldn't maybe they wouldn't have sent. So maybe Maduro wouldn't have accepted.
But now we are seeing this conflagration of rescue teams of all kinds of humanitarian aid from all over the world in Venezuela, helping, you know,
at the -- at the human level. Right. And I think, you know, you know, despite the tragedy, it is very heartening to see this massive movement
from all over the world to come and help.
[10:05:00]
And we see the results, right?
And with Hernan, it's a great story that we can tell. You know, there was - - there was there were teams from El Salvador, I believe, from Europe as well. And, you know, they all got together to save human lives.
ANDERSON: Elias, sadly, this is the exception that proves the rule. A week or so after these twin earthquakes, the golden hour, as it's known, for
rescues, successful rescues, closed some days ago. Just describe the atmosphere in Venezuela and what is being said about what more could have
been done and what happens next.
FERRER: So I think just, just quickly, how we need to start is no one could have prepared exactly for this in the sense that, you know, this was
a very unusual, you know, one-two punch of earthquakes, you know.
And it's very hard to have, you know, prepared for something just as devastating. And, you know, the shallowness of the earthquake and so on.
There was a lot of factors that played against any kind of successful response from humanitarian agencies and the government and so on.
Having said that, you know, what it feels like is the government was not prepared to organize the response because everyone has wanted to help. That
has kind of been the main, you know, the determining variable in the atmosphere, right?
Like everyone wants to do something about this. And I think a lot of us haven't really, you know, taken in the full magnitude of the catastrophe
because most people, you know, we've just been focused on what we can do, you know.
Can we go here and, you know, bring some aid?
Some people have been, you know, volunteering to remove the rubble, to be interpreters and so on. And, you know, I think at some point we -- there's
going to be more of a realization of, you know, we have -- we have this massive tragedy.
There's been negligence from the government, you know, the way buildings were constructed, you know, and so on. And because there is some built-up
anger, for example. But this is not translating into some kind of social unrest or anything like that.
You know, there have been some isolated cases of people taking advantage of the situation but, for the most part, it's just people trying to help and
not really thinking about, you know, what has really gone on.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Elias. I'm sorry that you and Venezuela is -- are going through what you are going through.
Your analysis and insight really important to us as we look at these pictures of, frankly, sheer relief and joy at the rescue of one man, Hernan
Gil, married with two kids, who is now free after more than 100 hours, trapped beneath a fallen building. Thank you.
Well, sadly, many families are still searching for their loved ones and in so many cases, there is not this miraculous ending, of course. We heard
from Isa live from the scene of that successful rescue a few minutes ago. But earlier she filed this report about the growing toll that she is seeing
on the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES (voice-over): Venezuelans are still looking desperately, searching for their loved ones. A week since back-to-back earthquakes rocked this
country.
At the main morgue in Caracas, I met a shell-shocked Karelis D'Wuentt.
KARELIS D'WUENTT, VENEZUELAN (through translator): They are under the rubble and I haven't been able to identify them.
SOARES (voice-over): Her 22-year-old brother was pulled out alive from the ruins by his own friend but he succumbed to his injuries last night and
there's more
D'WUENTT (through translator): They are missing. My nephew, my cousins, my aunts.
SOARES (voice-over): She tells me a dozen family members are missing, three confirmed dead.
SOARES: The magnitude of loss has yet to be fully felt here in Venezuela, as families drift from hopeful to disbelief. There's a real sense of
bewilderment and now face the very painful task of having to track down their bodies.
SOARES (voice-over): I make my way to see a forensic pathologist who has just returned from the makeshift morgue in the hardhit area of La Guaira.
We meet in the car and protect our identity for fear of retaliation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We are seeing around 400 bodies every day. The bodies have not been identified, are being placed in
refrigerators that are cargo trucks, they're containers.
SOARES: So the containers are all full now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Yes, they are full.
SOARES (voice-over): Shocking but hardly surprising. Despite thousands missing, the official death toll is sitting at just over 2,000.
SOARES: Other numbers that we are getting from the government, are they trustworthy?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): No, those numbers are not trustworthy.
[10:10:00]
SOARES (voice-over): A blunt take from a front line worker seeing death up close -- Isa Soares, CNN, Caracas, Venezuela.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, amid the disaster in Venezuela and fighting in the Middle East, Russia's war on Ukraine may be seems to fade somewhat from the
headlines, doesn't it?
But overnight it very much reclaimed them, a lethal combination of Russian drones and missiles hitting civilian areas of Kyiv. At least 20 people
there reported dead. Moscow says it's payback for Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian areas.
And this just adds to some stark figures. A new report estimates that Russia's war on Ukraine has claimed 2 million casualties. That includes
people killed, wounded and missing on both sides. And that could surpass the Battle of Stalingrad as the bloodiest conflict in history.
Well, the war has dragged on longer than World War I and well beyond U.S. president Donald Trump's first day of his second term, where he pledged to
end it. More on this latest attack now from our Nada Bashir.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The moment of impact in yet another round of deadly Russian strikes. The night sky over Kyiv illuminated as fires
tear through the city into the early hours of the morning.
Hundreds of Russian missiles and drones are said to have been intercepted. But officials say at least 33 made impact, killing more than a dozen people
and wounding at least 86 others.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): My kids and I wanted to get out of the room. We jumped out of the bed and started running. But there was
nowhere left to run. All the windows in the room were shattered and the door was jammed. I couldn't open it.
BASHIR (voice-over): This latest attack came with some warning. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling on civilians to heed the sirens and
take shelter in anticipation of an extensive Russian attack.
More than 50,000 Kyiv residents are said to have packed into metro stations across the city Wednesday evening, preparing for a long night.
Russia's defense ministry claims precision weapons were used to target Ukraine's military and energy infrastructure. But local officials in the
capital have condemned what they've described as significant direct hits on residential buildings across the city.
In this Kyiv neighborhood, families wait anxiously for news of their loved ones as emergency services search through the rubble of destroyed homes for
casualties.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): A miracle happened here today, thanks primarily to the work of the rescue teams. This is the first time in
Ukraine that seven people have been rescued from under the rubble.
BASHIR (voice-over): A miracle moment for some but, for others, only grief -- Nada Bashir, CNN, in London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: I want to connect you now to this region I'm broadcasting from, our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. Iran pausing
discussions to finally bury its late supreme leader, ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran's Fars news agency posted these images on Telegram, showing a vehicle being prepared to transport Khamenei's body at his funeral. Ceremonies are
taking place from July 4th to July the 9th across Iran and in Iraq.
Khamenei was killed in an air strike on February the 28th, which was the first day of the war. The Iranian president says the funeral marks the
beginning of a new chapter for the country.
Iran warning of fierce retaliation if Israel or the U.S. attack during the funeral. Despite this rhetoric, diplomatic efforts have shown some optimism
in Doha, Qatar says there were -- or there was positive progress on issues tied to the memorandum of understanding.
Saying the discussions built on recent talks being held -- that were held, of course, in Switzerland. Both sides have agreed to continue discussions.
As we watch to see how the Iran conflict will evolve from its current uncertainty, there are parallels with another region living with a sense of
limbo right now and that is Gaza. Friday marks 1,000 days of war following the October 7th attacks on Israel by Hamas in 2023.
Although formally a ceasefire has been in effect since October of last year, Israel has carried out near-daily strikes on Gaza and Hamas refuses
to disarm. And it means civilians are once again paying the highest price.
Earlier this week, mourners attended the funeral of a mother and child killed in Israeli strikes, attacks that are destroying what little
stability people have left.
[10:15:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We appeal to the whole world. It's a shame that we remain in destruction. Someone settles in a tent and then
the tent is gone. We're telling the whole world to stand with us. This can't go on. Every day the Jews are hitting us. Every day they are striking
us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): By God, it's all ink on paper. There's no ceasefire, nothing. It's all a joke on the world. We don't see
any ceasefire or anything. For three years we've been living in suffering and hardship.
So where are we supposed to go now?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Donald Trump's board of peace says it held highly productive meetings in Cyprus over the past two days. Actual evidence of
progress, though, does remain elusive. Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv.
What came out of this meeting, this board of peace meeting?
And where does international diplomacy stand at this point?
Where are we at, Jeremy?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, the board of peace called the series of meetings that took place in Cyprus, quote, "highly
productive."
These were meetings between members of the board of peace as well as the Palestinian technocratic committee that should be governing Gaza right now
but has yet to actually enter the Gaza Strip.
And, you know, the board of peace and this Palestinian technocratic committee said that they focused on, quote, "what can be done immediately,"
looking at a series of initiatives to improve living conditions on the ground for Palestinians.
This comes as we've learned that the board of peace recently was pressuring, through the American government, pressuring the Israeli
government to allow the next steps of this peace plan to move forward, despite the fact that Hamas continues to refuse to disarm.
These would involve, for example, the movement of Palestinians across the yellow line into Israeli-controlled territory. But that would only happen
if Israel agrees to withdraw from parts of that area and allow for this international stabilization force, which has yet to actually be deployed
into the Gaza Strip.
And the reality is that despite this productive series of meetings that the board of peace is touting, the 20-point peace plan that was supposed to
deliver a very different future for Gaza nine months later, it is very much stalled right now, stalled in the earliest phases of that agreement.
We saw the hostage-for-prisoner exchanges take place. Aid began to surge. But since then, we've seen the number of aid trucks going into Gaza not
meeting, it would seem that the 600 per day, according to various humanitarian aid organizations, we're seeing conditions on the ground still
having yet to improve.
And the kind of broader, more political aspects of this peace plan completely frozen in action, in part because Hamas refuses to disarm, in
part because Israel hasn't fulfilled many of its obligations under this ceasefire. And so it's not really clear right now what can break that
gridlock.
ANDERSON: Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv for you today.
Time there just after 5:15 in the afternoon; 6:15 here.
Still ahead, two very different versions of America's economy. A disappointing U.S. jobs report in stark contrast to what we are learning
about Donald Trump's wealth.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:20:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Well, a fresh snapshot of the state of America's economy. The June jobs report out. It's falling far short of expectations, with just
57,000 nonfarm (AUDIO GAP) in the U.S. last month.
CNN Politics Stephen Collinson saying, quote, "Many Americans may not be feeling Donald Trump's economic golden age but the president's bank account
is."
And there is proof of that in the trove of Trump's latest financial disclosures, showing his top Florida resorts, Mar-a-Lago and Trump national
Doral, are delivering record-breaking revenue. Meanwhile, Trump fixating on the upcoming America 250 festivities.
Jeff Zeleny takes us through the many ways that the U.S. president is celebrating not just America's birthday but seemingly himself.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He flew on his new plane. And for the first time as president, he rode on a
train. Donald Trump is making a splash heading into Independence Day, a celebration of America's 250th anniversary and himself.
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: On July 4th, it's going to be approximately 107 degrees out and I'm going to go and I'm going to make a really long
speech. Just to show that I can do anything.
ZELENY (voice-over): He visited the Badlands of North Dakota today. His motorcade escorted by Rough Riders on horseback. He toured the new Theodore
Roosevelt Presidential Library, saying tributes to the 26th president and offering himself one.
TRUMP: It's a part of the country that I love and I think they love me because I have the all-time record in presidential voting.
ZELENY (voice-over): This year-long grand celebration of America has often felt like more of a presidential vanity project, placing the Trump imprint
far beyond the normal trappings of the office.
While the president has long wrapped himself in the flag, quite literally, during this memorable moment at a conservative gathering in his first term,
America 250 has taken things to a new Trumpian high.
He commandeered planning for the celebrations, bypassing the bipartisan America 250 organization enacted by Congress a decade ago, in favor of
Freedom 250, a separate group he and his allies control. His renovation projects have spouted up across Washington and his face now adorns many
government buildings.
At this moment of American history, Trump is placing himself at the center of it all to the delight of his admirers like Tiffany Bolgrean, who came
from Fargo to see him today.
TIFFANY BOLGREAN, AMERICAN CITIZEN, FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA: Best president in the world of our time and what he's stood up for and what he's done for
this country and what he's been up against. I mean, the man is incredible.
ZELENY (voice-over): From a UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House to a visit Friday to Mount Rushmore, reprising the stop he made in 2020.
TRUMP: There could be no better place to celebrate America's independence.
ZELENY (voice-over): Trump's handling of the semi-quincentennial is a far cry from the nation's bicentennial in 1976, when President Gerald Ford took
pains to remove partisan politics from an American celebration.
In his autobiography, "A Time to Heal," Ford wrote, "Rarely in the history of the world had so many people turned out so spontaneously to express the
love they felt for their country."
Trump has taken the opposite approach, making himself the star of the show. Yet as the weekend finale approaches, the modest attendance at the Great
American State Fair is sparking anxiety inside the White House.
TRUMP: Then on July 4th, we will have the greatest show of all on the National Mall. Your favorite president will be speaking, so please show up.
ZELENY (voice-over): The president's words offered a telling window into one of his biggest fears, a small crowd.
TRUMP: Because if we have two empty seats, you know what's going to happen?
The fake news is going to say he didn't fill out the arena.
ZELENY (voice-over): Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Medora, North Dakota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, Stephen Collinson joining us now to discuss.
He hates an empty stadium. And there are people who've lost his jobs in his administrations for not packing out stadiums, of course, famously.
Stephen, you and I have been speaking about Trump's big plans for July the 4th and about his billion dollar crypto gains and the whole host of the
other ways that he's profited from his presidency.
For a man who is obsessed with optics, does it not register that all of this could be seen as out of touch with everyday Americans struggles?
[10:25:00]
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And you would think that flying around the country in his luxury new Air Force One would only
play into that. But Trump has actually celebrated that plane.
And when he was asked about the riches that he's built up through crypto yesterday, he said, well, I'm rich because I've got a load of cash. So
therefore I get rich when the markets go up.
So he's not trying to hide it at all. I think some of it is to do with the fact that the White House is a bubble; especially in his second term, the
president has almost no one that can offer him a contradictory view of reality than the one he perceives from his watching of conservative TV and
the deference that is all around him.
And I think part of it is the bravado that for a long time actually helped Trump politically. If you go to a Trump rally, you talk to people like Jeff
Zeleny there, they say, well, Trump is a great businessman. He made himself rich and he can make all of us rich.
That was a real calling card for him in 2016 and in 2024, when people thought he could overhaul the economy.
Now the question is, is that still going to be the case?
If Trump's getting rich and no one else is, as appears to be the case, that could be more of a political liability, I think.
ANDERSON: Which leads to my second question here and that is opposition. Democrats are starting at least to coalesce around an anti-corruption
message.
As one Democratic lawmaker put it, quote, "This is an administration that's saying, look at my 747, look at my gold, whereas, you know, you can eat
cake."
Zohran Mamdani has announced he'll give an address on July the 4th, just hours before Trump; Democratic Socialists, of course, are making waves in
New York and in Colorado.
Taking all of that together, do you believe that there will be a political price to pay for Trump here?
COLLINSON: Well, I think the fact that the president's approval rating is at 37 percent, and many Americans feel he doesn't understand their worries
about the economy, perhaps suggests he's already paying something of a political price.
It's an interesting question whether this corruption argument will drive home, as you say. The logic there is that the president is very rich and
doesn't understand how hard it is for us to pay for our rent and our groceries and our health care. That is something that in theory sounds like
it could work.
But the sense of alleged corruption in the United States, the closeness between Trump and Big Business is so all pervasive. It's in some ways hard
to get your hands around and to create that thread of an argument that could really strike home to voters.
In terms of the Democratic Socialists, this is a very interesting development and I think it's one that's absolutely logical. Part of it is
motivated by anger toward Trump in the Democratic base.
But there's also anger toward Democratic leaders, who many activist voters believe have not stood up to Trump sufficiently. And if you think about it,
at a time when there is anger at the Democratic establishment, concern that the Democratic leadership has long been too old -- look at the Biden
presidency, for example.
And there's this real cry for help over housing and health care and university education. It's not surprising, I think, that there's a growing
populist left-wing movement, which in many ways mirrors the anti- establishment feeling that led to Trump on the Right a decade ago.
ANDERSON: Always good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. We will continue to watch this story unfold. Thank you.
Well, Donald Trump playing a key role in our next story, OpenAI's next power move, a move that may have global impact.
According to the "Financial Times," the ChatGPT maker reportedly considering a new relationship with the U.S. government, giving the Trump
administration a 5 percent stake in the company, now a share worth about $42.6 billion, based on a OpenAI's most recent funding round.
The report goes on to say other AI companies may offer the U.S. government similar deals. CNN's Anna Stewart with us now.
Anna, just explain the benefits for each side here and how this fits into what does seem to be a growing push for the U.S. government to take stakes
in these massive tech companies.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there is some precedent here.
[10:30:00]
(INAUDIBLE) bought a 10 percent stake in Intel, which was around $9 billion, a little under. So there's precedent there. But that was when they
actually invested in it. They spent money. They bought it.
In this case, what we're looking at with the plan from Sam Altman is a gift. And as you said, $42.6 billion at current valuations, that's a pretty
hefty gift. In terms of the benefits, now if this money were to be put into a sovereign wealth fund situation in the U.S., well, that would be for the
public good.
The public would have a literal stake in artificial intelligence. That money could be used to cushion all sorts of job disruption and other issues
that emerge as a result of the AI wave.
From a cynical standpoint, there's also, of course, a potential benefit here for OpenAI to cozy up with government, perhaps to clear that political
runway for getting new models approved faster, maybe for having more light touch regulations.
Right now, OpenAI's latest or newest GPT model is being held by the U.S. government while they review. It's a bit like they did with the Anthropic
models Fable 5 and Mythos 5.
The big question is if OpenAI -- sorry. If OpenAI were to do this, if Sam Altman were also to persuade other CEOs of big companies in the AI space in
the U.S. to do the same.
For instance, if you had OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, they all gave 5 percent stakes to the government in some sort of fund, that
would total nearly $0.5 trillion, which is a lot.
Now that's probably never going to happen. Not only is it easier, of course, for OpenAI to give 5 percent as they're about to list and
Anthropic could potentially do the same, it would be much harder for a big company like Nvidia at this stage to gift a 5 percent stake.
And I'm not sure the U.S. government would really want to buy a 5 percent stake, given how expensive AI shares are right now. But it is an
interesting case. We are seeing a very different relationship right now with the U.S. government and these Big Tech companies, specifically AI.
They're talking a lot. They're collaborating a lot. There's a bit of push and pull and there's a lot of tension in the White House, I think, in terms
of what regulation they want to have with AI companies.
Are they still light touch as they were right at the beginning?
Well, they're certainly less so right now as we're seeing models being held up.
But where does that end up?
And this is potentially one interesting route that they will follow.
ANDERSON: Yes. Fascinating. Just looking at the price of some of the stocks in that sector. Intel, one of the companies that the U.S. has taken
a stake in, trading slightly lower today against the run of play. Thank you, Anna.
Plenty of drama and late comebacks in the round of 32 at the World Cup. England needed two late goals to advance. We're going to talk about that
and the U.S. and what to expect from the matches Thursday. That's up next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:35:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD on CNN. I'm Becky Anderson. Here are your headlines.
And a successful rescue in Venezuela. More than a week after those devastating earthquakes, last hour emergency crews managed to free a man
who'd been stuck under the rubble of a parking garage. More than 2,200 people are now known to have been killed in Venezuela.
Rescue crews in Ukraine desperately looking for survivors after an intense Russian assault on Kyiv. Officials say a lethal combination of around 600
drones and missiles hit mostly civilian buildings in the capital. At least 21 people have been reported killed there.
And Iran is pausing diplomatic negotiations as it prepares for the funeral of the late supreme leader ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Iran's Fars news agency posted these images on Telegram, showing a vehicle being prepared to transport his body at his
funeral. Ceremonies are taking place from July 4th to July the 9th across Iran and in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: In the World Cup, England made hard work of it and that is an understatement but survived a scare to advance to the round of 16. The
Three Lions spent most of the match trailing the Democratic Republic of Congo.
But two late goals from the talismanic Harry Kane were enough to see England through, where they will now go on to face co-hosts Mexico in
Mexico City. Joining us now live is Guillem Balague. He's a Spanish football journalist, host of the Pure Football podcast.
Look, I watched that game. I'm an England supporter. It was one of the most uncomfortable matches I've ever experienced as an England fan. And that is
saying something. Kane really felt like he basically rescued that team. I frankly felt we're going home for most of the game.
What did you make of the match and how far at this point do you think they can go?
GUILLEM BALAGUE, PODCAST HOST: It's the knockout stages. It's never going to be easy. So be prepared for more drama and more difficulties and things
you don't expect. England fans really, you're so dramatic.
But it was hard. It was hard because at this stage there's no easy team to start with. And Congo did this. A couple of things that make the games at
this stage very, very difficult. One, you expect to beat them. Two, they scored early and a lot more. They defended really well when they were
compact at the back.
And every now and again that they come to attack and put threat into the game against England.
But guess what?
They hit between the posts on target twice in the whole game, England seven times. So it was bound to happen but it required few changes from Tuchel,
in every break, including the halftime but also the hydration breaks.
England became better and better and better. Changed the wingers in the second half after one hour and with Gordon and Saka involved with Declan
Rice, central midfielder on the right back, it was a more balanced England. And you've got Harry Kane. So calm down.
ANDERSON: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Doesn't mean that it wasn't the most uncomfortable match or one of the most uncomfortable matches I've ever watched. You are making some
really good points and we're through. So you're absolutely right. I mean, I just thought it was a shocking performance for about 75 minutes.
But there you go. I agree with you. You know, changing it up on the right hand side on the wingers was a good idea. And it did really help.
And the DRC, you're absolutely right to point out, played a superb game of football, came out confidently, knew what they were going to do. And they
weren't intimidated at all by a team which, on paper, should be much better than them. So good on the DRC. I was really sorry to see them go although
obviously pleased to see England go through.
The U.S., let's talk about the U.S., the U.S. men's national team advancing with a convincing victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. I did -- I did note
that there was one guy's tweet went viral, a guy in the States, who couldn't believe that the U.S. had to play two teams in the group of 32.
Dared to go through, didn't get the Bosnia and Herzegovina one country, of course. But it came with some controversy which will impact their round of
16 match against Belgium. Just explain.
BALAGUE: Yes, Folarin Balogun -- he's a striker -- not only scored.
[10:40:00]
And he was becoming one of the stars of the tournament, not just of the U.S. but he was sent off, a serious fall, which, Pochettino the manager of
the United States keeps saying he shouldn't have been a red. But it was because I've got the loss in front of me.
And if it's use of excessive force (INAUDIBLE) and endanger the safety of an opponent, means that it's serious, playful and that means red card. But
that's still, you know, it gave, with 1-0 up the possibility for Bosnia to actually turn things around, playing against 10.
But this team, this Pochettino team has shown the ability to play in different ways for most of the tournament. They've just been on the
forefront defending high.
They score first and generally early and that gives them the advantage, of course, because when they have to do what they did in the last half an
hour, 35 minutes of the game of defending deep, they did that very well as well, helped by the fans.
This is a team full of energy, full of ideas, full of players and good form. So Balogun won't be there but I still think that they've got a very
good chance against Belgium in the next round.
ANDERSON: Yes, so do I. And Belgium putting the Senegalese out. I mean, again, you know, you got to feel for Senegal. They played a good game of
football. But they are out and Belgium advanced. Let's take a look then at today's matches.
European champions Spain taking on Austria. Portugal matched up with Croatia and the late kickoff which is extremely late here, 6:000 in the
morning or 6:30 in the morning, I think.
Switzerland and Algeria, which one are you more excited about?
BALAGUE: I'm Spanish so like you I probably won't be able to judge the whole thing calmly. But you are talking about Spain. That, as you said, is
European champions but Spain that hasn't hit all cylinders yet. It is one that is expecting, like every team that is going through the big star to
shine.
And that hasn't happened yet with Lamine Yamal, because he had been injured for two months before the World Cup. He's recovering form. And so those are
the players that are important to Spain, like Pedri and Rodri, the midfielders.
And you've got Austria who in -- on paper -- and that is a bad thing to say because you assume that you're going to win and that adds pressure. But
Austria also had their own injury problems, which means they won't be able to play in the way they do with the pressure, high intensity. That will be
so much of that.
And I think Spain are little by little getting better. The players are telling us that, so we have to believe it. And then, of course, we'll put
our eyes on Portugal-Croatia, which player will retire the other.
Will it be Modric to Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo; Cristiano Ronaldo to Modric; 41, Cristiano and 40, Modric, two legends.
ANDERSON: That's right. Amazing. I still quite fancy Spain to be honest to go all the way in this. But let's see. You have -- finally you've written
biographies on some of the greatest players of all time, particularly talking about two, of course. That is Messi and Ronaldo.
You know, the arguments go on about who is the greatest of all time. As you look at these guys playing at 41, it is remarkable to see Ronaldo out
there. Messi is playing superb football still. I mean it feels like it's the age of the middle-aged footballer at this point. Mbappe a brilliant
player and obviously much younger.
What do you make of what you are seeing from some of these older gentlemen of the game at this point in this World Cup?
BALAGUE: I think we have to get used to the fact that they will there will be more and more players getting to that age and we start to think
differently. Remember when we used to say 30, that's it. I mean, the client (ph) starts.
And yet, for instance, Ronaldo has scored more goals since he was 30 than before he was 30. He's now number nine. A little bit of criticism. Well, a
lot of criticism in Portugal because he's scored a couple of goals but again against Uzbekistan, the weakest side in the group.
And it seems to -- things far too much on his own goal and not so much helping the team. But Roberto Martinez, the manager, has decided that he's
going to die with the boots on. He's going to be with Ronaldo until the end.
By the way, this could be also Roberto Martinez last game as he's leaving Portugal. So we will see. But to see him still scoring, still engaged,
still important. And you hear the noise of the crowd when he touches the ball as if something special is going to happen.
Not much special happens these days when they touch the ball, unlike Messi, who the whole team works around him. And I've got the impression. He's 39,
that he will have another World Cup in him in the way he plays, 65 percent of the six kilometers that he does in a game. He doesn't walk him.
So you know, he can do the walking in four years.
[10:45:00]
ANDERSON: Wow. Well, I'll have you back in four years' time, if he is, indeed, representing Argentina at the next World Cup. It's good to have
you. It's been terrific to date and very much looking forward to these knockout rounds now, of course. Thank you.
Football fever very much alive in the New York area, of course. But now another major event expected in the heart of Manhattan. What we know or we
think we know about the wedding of the year, that is up next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: (INAUDIBLE) around the world are eagerly awaiting what some are calling the American royal wedding. That, of course, is the marriage of the
pop icon Taylor Swift to NFL superstar Travis Kelce. That is set to take place, we think, at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York.
Now it's expected to begin with a rehearsal dinner tonight, followed by the event proper on Friday. Now despite the global star quality of the couple,
details of this wedding have been absolutely shrouded in secrecy.
Well, joining us now is Brittany Spanos, who's pop culture journalist and writer of the BRIT POP Substack.
Good to have you. There is so much speculation around this wedding. Nothing is final until "I do," of course. We are seeing these live pictures -- let
me bring them up -- of a tent being built at Madison Square Garden.
Do you now believe that the sources are right and it is going ahead there over the coming days and hours?
BRITTANY SPANOS, POP CULTURE JOURNALIST: Yes. It seems like Associated Press confirmed last night that the wedding will be taking place at Madison
Square Garden this weekend. I know there's been heightened security; NYPD, National Guard all around the arena.
The mayor is around. Mamdani has even brought it up during a press conference that there's a lot of attention to this area. So it does seem
like we are getting much closer to a multi-day Madison Square Garden wedding event for Taylor and Travis.
ANDERSON: We come from a region full of conspiracy theories here and false flag exercises. So I'm not convinced until I actually see it happen.
But if we have not been led astray and it is Madison Square Garden, why?
SPANOS: You know, I think the early speculation -- I remember when TMZ had first published that it would be happening there -- was about the
heightened security that Madison Square Garden provides.
Obviously, it's a closed arena. You know, notably, if you've ever attended a show there, there's -- you don't really see tour buses, right for the
artists around it because there are these secret garages and entrances.
So you know, I think there's -- they also do the face recognition technology at the arena. For someone like Taylor and for someone who is as
followed by paparazzi, by fans as Taylor Swift is, it does make sense that she would want a location with the most security possible. So Madison
Square Garden in that sense.
[10:50:00]
But also there's a spectacle that they clearly want to be a part of and to create with their wedding. You know, it's the life of a showgirl as is --
as she called her last album -- is very clear in how she's approaching her wedding planning as well.
ANDERSON: So whether our viewers are Swifties or not, everyone, it seems, is talking about this.
And in a country without a royal family, I'm talking about the United States, of course, how does this stack up to a royal wedding like Prince
Harry and Meghan Markle, for example?
SPANOS: Yes. I mean, this is going to be, based on the size of it, seems like there's going to be quite a lot of people there. And I'm sure the
majority of those people will be massive, big name celebrities.
So you know, in the same way that a royal wedding is bringing kind of the peak of the royal -- extended royal families around the world and also the
highest and most esteemed celebrities and public figures within the country, I feel like this will be a very similar situation for Taylor and
Travis.
I think they obviously will have people from the music world, the sports world, the entertainment world, widely. I would be shocked if they didn't
have, you know, politicians or other public figures there.
You know, if Katy Perry shows up, I'm sure Justin Trudeau will be there or potentially President Obama or people like that, who could potentially be
on the guest list.
ANDERSON: Possibly more than -- possibly more than Donald Trump may get at some of the 250 celebrations over the weekend.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Anyway, fans have spent -- fans have spent years following every dramatic, romantic move. And that inspired song after song.
And when I asked my team here in Abu Dhabi what the big deal was about Taylor Swift, our intern, made the point that this wedding is almost a
payoff for those fans.
Do you get that?
Is that how you see it?
SPANOS: Yes, of course. I mean, Taylor has been releasing music since she was a teenager. This year marks the 20-year anniversary of her debut album.
It's been literally two decades since we first met and heard Taylor Swift at all.
And she's taken us on the journey of her life through her music. She is a diaristic singer/songwriter. She has detailed the good, the bad, the ugly
of her dating life, of her, you know, desire for a happy ending through -- and also so much else of her, of her life in general.
And so, you know, having heard the journey through her music of that search for a happy ending, of course, this wedding at Madison Square Garden really
allows the public to see that happy ending come to life in the most spectacular way.
ANDERSON: And that's what we all want. You want that. You just want that to be a bit more personal than it being in the middle of New York City. But
that's what they've chosen. That is what they've chosen.
(CROSSTALK)
SPANOS: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: And I'm sure everybody watching this will wish them the very, very best. It does. It's just like, if you're going to do things in secret,
do them in secret. Don't do them in the middle of New York City.
SPANOS: Yes.
ANDERSON: Their choice, not ours.
Who are we to say?
It's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.
We're going to take a very short break. Back after this.
SPANOS: Thanks for having me.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Well, before the break, we were talking about what we expect will be the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding expected in New York in the
hours or days to come. Meanwhile, a newly engaged couple in New York was arraigned today on felony charges after their dramatic stunt in the city on
Wednesday.
[10:55:08]
Take a look at the very top of the Empire State Building.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): The couple, known for daredevil stunts, scaled the iconic landmark. They reached the top of the spire, where they unfurled a
banner reading, "When the power of love meets the love of power, the world knows peace."
When they climbed down to a small platform where the man identified as Ivan Kuznetsov got down on one knee and appeared to propose. Well, posts on the
Instagram account of Angela Nikolau, identified as the other climber, show the ring and some jaw-dropping video from 1,454 feet up in the air.
Well, the stunt grabbed the attention of those on the ground and high above
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. What's all the hoopla going on over there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two geniuses climbed to the top of the Empire State Building at the top of the spire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, that's awesome.
It's a little hot for that, isn't it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just the beginning of this week.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Police took the couple into custody without incident. They were released under court supervision and are due back in
court next month.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right, that's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. From the team working with me here in Abu Dhabi, it is a very good evening. Stay with CNN
though. "ONE WORLD" is up.
END
