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Connect the World
U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Iran Steps Up Executions under the Cover of War; U.S. Vice President Talks with Joe Rogan on Iran Diplomacy; Hegseth Wants T Testing of U.S. Military; FIFA World Cup Highlights; Flash Floods in Texas; Christopher Nolan's Cinematic Empire. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired July 16, 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]
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to the second hour of the show. I'm Eleni Giokos in Dubai, where the time is just
after 6:00 in the evening.
(INAUDIBLE) strikes inside (INAUDIBLE) between the U.S. and Iran as the U.S. strikes inside Iran escalate. The Iranian military is warning the
Strait of Hormuz is a, quote, "unbreakable red line."
And we're following harrowing images out of Texas, where flash flood emergency warnings have been issued in the same area of last year's deadly
Camp Mystic flooding.
Plus, a CNN investigation finds Donald Trump praised companies on his social media platform after buying their stocks.
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GIOKOS: Welcome to the show.
CNN has learned that the U.S. president has been weighing his options for expanding the U.S. military operation in Iran. Donald Trump is said to be
considering a plan to take Iran's export hub, Kharg Island.
Tehran, meanwhile, says the key oil shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz, is, quote, "an unbreakable red line."
It follows another wave of U.S. airstrikes on Iran. Tehran says dozens of Iranians have been killed and hundreds injured in recent U.S. attacks.
Kuwait had another tense night and its military scrambling to intercept a fresh wave of Iranian drone strikes this afternoon. Tehran says it was
targeting U.S. bases in this region.
I want to bring in Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group. He joins us now live in Switzerland.
You've written an op-ed in "The New York Times" and you're arguing that this risks becoming a forever war. And you say that is the logic of a
forever war. Each side uses violence to test the other's endurance. War becomes negotiation by other means.
And we know that both sides, frankly, Ali, have been doubling down. And it is about who is willing to endure the most pain. So help us understand why
you think we're on the path to a forever war.
ALI VAEZ, IRAN PROJECT, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: It's great to be with you.
Look, the logic is very simple. It took about two months to negotiate 1.5 pages of the memorandum of understanding between April 8th, which was the
ceasefire between Iran and the U.S., to June 18th, when the memorandum was finalized.
It took only three weeks for it to unravel. And the point I'm making is, if such a minimal understanding cannot hold between the two sides, basically,
there's no way you can put a floor under these tensions between Iran and the United States, which means that we are going to go from one cycle of
violence into the next.
And this is exactly the concept of a forever war. If you can't resolve issues, if you can't even scratch the surface and the war on which both
sides agreed reopened the strait again, on which the general concept both sides agreed.
And you don't have deconfliction mechanisms that if you have disagreements over interpretation of an understanding, then you are basically locked in
an escalatory cycle of violence.
GIOKOS: Yes, it's the escalation trap. And that's the danger, a promise of just lasting a few weeks. We're months in now. But you have talked about a
potential offramp when it comes to the issue of managing traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. That is Iran's main point of leverage. I want you to take
me through what that might actually look like.
VAEZ: So look, the dispute right now is that the text of the MOU, in a very imprecise way, talked about the fact that, over the 30 days of
implementation of the agreement, Iran would be responsible for making its best efforts to reopen the strait and return traffic to where it was before
the war.
In the first week of the implementation of the MOU, almost 50 percent of the traffic was restored. But then the U.S. opened the southern corridor,
much closer to Oman's territorial waters. Iran saw this as U.S. effort to erode its leverage and started shooting at vessels. And we are in another
round of conflict now.
So basically the solution would be that there would be a joint coordination center, in which Iran and the Gulf cooperation countries could have
monitoring mechanism of what traffic is coming in and going out of the strait so that both sides of the Gulf are involved and that we return to
the MOU. That's the only solution.
[10:05:00]
Because again, if the floor collapses, then there's no foundation on which you can build anything. And by the way, let me add that this is cognizant
of the fact that there is also no military solution to reopening the strait. The U.S. can bomb Iran for another six weeks and Iran will still be
able to fly drones and missiles into the strait.
GIOKOS: Yes, that's a really interesting prospect. I mean, we've heard about joint coordination mechanism between Iran and Oman. There was
apparently a hotline that was going to be created with the United States.
But it seems Iran is just saying, you know, you've got to use this northern corridor and showing that it can inflict pain toward the southern corridor.
And it's just talks about who's really got superiority here.
That's about bringing Iran to the table, isn't it?
VAEZ: Well, it is about control. You're absolutely right. But this is why a joint coordination center doesn't necessarily deprive Iran of knowing
what's coming in and what's going out.
The problem Iranians have was that they had no visibility in the southern corridor and, therefore, they saw it as a means of eroding their leverage.
If they believe that they still have the leverage -- and, by the way, if the U.S. delivers on the positive incentives that were promised in the deal
-- and on that front, there were serious shortcomings.
Whether it was release of Iran's frozen assets or basically allowing Iran to sell oil and petrochemical products and repatriate the revenue, if these
things are on the table and concretely delivered, then I think Iran would have less of an incentive to try to use the strait as a revenue generation
mechanism.
GIOKOS: Yes. And look, while we're talking, the maritime industry is infuriated with what's going on. They want to get vessels out. The risks
are obviously very serious. And now you've got threats around closing Bab- el-Mandab strait as well.
Give me a sense of how president Trump keeps Gulf allies onside even as he continues to fight this war of his own choosing and in their back yard.
VAEZ: Look, the Gulf states didn't want this war to start and don't want Iran to be in control of the straits. So if you don't want a military
solution and you don't want Iran's dominance, there is only one solution, which is a win-win diplomatic solution.
And that's some of the Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, that was part of this mediating group, and Qatar, which did a lot of heavy lifting
to make the memorandum of understanding happen, are exactly on board with that kind of vision.
The problem, again, is that, instead of returning to the negotiating table to resolve differences over the interpretation of the text, the two sides
decided to use force to enforce their own interpretation.
And that's why again, I think these mediating countries, the Gulf countries, can come back in and offer new ideas and new solutions to
prevent a bad situation from getting worse.
Because you're absolutely right. All of these tensions that we've had or have been primarily about the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, if you have
a second critical chokepoint added to that, I think we would have a major energy shock and potentially a global recession as a result.
GIOKOS: Well, Ali Vaez, we appreciate your insight into this. Thank you so much for joining us on the show.
President Trump posted on social media that Iran has released a dual Iranian American citizen who had been charged with spying and barred from
leaving the country since December of 2024. She has been identified by her attorney as Dena Karari. Mr. Trump called Iran's move an act of a bitter
world (ph).
Meantime, Iran is accused of cracking down on dissent. According to Iran Human Rights, an NGO based in Norway, the Iranian regime is dramatically
stepping up executions of political prisoners while the world is distracted by the war. CNN's Isobel Yeung spoke with an Iranian woman whose brothers
are on death row.
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ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nikki Nikbakht recently learned that her two brothers, Hadi and Fazlollah, have been given the
death sentence by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Every day from her home in Germany, she checks in with her family back home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello?
NIKKI NIKBAKHT, BROTHERS SENTENCED TO DEATH IN IRAN (through translator): How's everything?
Any news?
YEUNG (voice-over): Nikki's brothers are just two of dozens of political prisoners facing execution in Iran right now. They stand accused of
encouraging dissent against the regime and were convicted of broad charges of corruption.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Death to Khamenei.
YEUNG: The Islamic Republic in the past has said that they only issued the death penalty after due process and that it's only given for very serious
crimes, for people who have committed horrendous things. Is that not what your brothers have done?
NIKBAKHT (through translator): They always try to portray politically active people as a threat to society to justify their death sentence.
[10:10:00]
It's creating fear in the society.
YEUNG (voice-over): Earlier this year, after widespread protests where the authorities cracked down with lethal force, President Trump claimed he'd
stepped in to stop Iran from executing hundreds of people.
But since the U.S.-led war, Iran has intensified repression and sped up the pace of executions. At least 44 political prisoners, including protesters,
have been killed since the conflict broke out, according to the Norway- based Iran Human Rights NGO.
NIKBAKHT: So this is Hadi and his wife and his two sons.
YEUNG: And how are they handling it?
NIKBAKHT (through translator): I don't think that their mother has mentioned the death sentence to them.
YEUNG (voice-over): With each execution, the regime sends a chilling message. We're still in charge and dissent will not be tolerated.
YEUNG: It must be impossible to put it out of your mind. I mean, how are you feeling on a daily basis about what could be to come?
NIKBAKHT (through translator): The only thing I can do now is be their voice. There's nothing else I can do. I don't want to say the situation is
unimaginable but in the end, we have to stay strong. That's our only option.
YEUNG (voice-over): Human rights groups decry what they say are forced confessions used to justify these executions. Earlier this year, 26-year-
old Nasir Bakardazeh and 28-year-old Mehrab Abdullazadeh confessed to serious crimes.
Nasir's filmed confession about espionage was used as propaganda and publicized on Iranian state media.
NASIR BAKARDAZEH, EXECUTED BY IRAN (through translator): I took several photos of a hall in an IRGC Sepah facility
YEUNG (voice-over): But in recorded calls from prison during their final days, both Nasir and Mehrab said they'd been tortured into making these
confessions.
MEHRAB ABDULLAZADEH, EXECUTED BY IRAN (through translator): From the very first day of my arrest, they forced confessions out of me through torture
and threats, confessions that were entirely false.
YEUNG (voice-over): Both Nasir and Mehrab were hanged on the 2nd of May. Hamid Chapati shared a cell with both men in Urmia Central Prison. Chapati
is a Kurdish Iranian activist who was imprisoned there for three months.
HAMID CHAPATI, KURDISH IRANIAN ACTIVIST (through translator): For Nasir and Mehrab and every prisoner sentenced to execution, every day can be the
last day and every moment can be the last moment. At night, they cannot sleep.
YEUNG: Do you remember the day when you found out that Nasir was executed?
CHAPATI (through translator): When Nasir's execution sentence was confirmed, he had sent a message to me through a mutual friend that he
wants to talk to me for the last time. And unfortunately, I could not talk to him. But when I heard the news of his execution, I feel like I was
executed with him too.
YEUNG (voice-over): As the war in Iran heats up again, human rights feel far from the priority and the regime is once again ruling through fear --
Isobel Yeung, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: In a seismic shift for the Democratic Party, 103 U.S. House members voted to block billions of dollars in financial aid to Israel on
Wednesday. The amendment to block military aid was proposed by Republican Thomas Massie, a vocal critic of Donald Trump.
The measure failed but it highlighted a remarkable moment for Democrats reckoning with voter discontent over Israel. Two years ago, only 37
Democrats voted to block Israel aid when presented with a similar vote.
Meantime, U.S. vice president JD Vance is accusing some Israeli officials of undermining American efforts to negotiate with Iran. Speaking on Joe
Rogan's podcast, Vance said those officials want the conflict to continue indefinitely rather than see a diplomatic agreement reached. Here's more
from that bombshell interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE (R-OH), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I definitely think you have seen this very discreet, extremely well-funded campaign to try to
derail the negotiation and try to derail the deal.
And, you know, there was -- again, there's this "Time" article that came out yesterday. A friend sent it to me. It's like worth reading because it
lists a bunch of people who have quite literally been paid by a former Trump campaign person, who was himself paid by certain elements within the
Israeli government.
And those people are attacking me viciously for quite literally trying to accomplish the negotiation objective that the president set for the
country.
When I open up the pages of "Time" magazine and I see that there's a literal foreign influence campaign being funded to tank the very deal that
I was pursuing and -- oh, by the way, many of the people who were receiving that money were actually attacking me in completely dishonest ways -- you
know, my response to that is, well, go to hell.
I'm going to do what I have to do for the American people.
[10:15:00]
I represent Americans first and that's the way that I've tried to do this job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: The vice president also weighed in on the Epstein probe during that wide-ranging interview. And he said the Trump administration, quote,
"absolutely screwed up" the comms around the Jeffrey Epstein files. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: People want to say we mishandled the Epstein release. Guilty. We did mishandle, especially the communications of it.
JOE ROGAN, PODCAST HOST: What do you think should have been done?
VANCE: I think that we should have just dropped everything at the very beginning. And obviously it takes a little time to review the stuff, to
find the stuff, to redact things where you have victims and so forth. But we should have just done it as quickly as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: When asked about claims that Epstein may have had ties to Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, Vance said Epstein could have been connected to
the Mossad, the CIA or some other deep state operation.
Vance also believes Epstein had connections to the highest levels of both U.S. and Israeli intelligence.
Ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, the U.S. Defense Secretary has announced a new health screening for troops, checking for testosterone deficiency.
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GIOKOS: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced that there will be a new screening program for testosterone deficiency among troops aged 30
and over. Any troops under 30 can also volunteer to be tested.
In the social media announcement, Hegseth called the screenings necessary to allow troops to operate at their best. CNN health reporter Jacqueline
Howard has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH CORRESPONDENT: What we know, based on the science, we do know that testosterone levels can vary with age and we also
know there's some research out there that suggests the stress and sleep deprivation among troops may be associated with changes in testosterone
levels.
But we still don't have a lot of robust data to give us some insight into a large screening program like this one, that's being rolled out under the
Pentagon. We did reach out to the Pentagon and asked for additional details.
They didn't have any further comment beyond what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did announce on his social media channels just yesterday. And in
that announcement, like you said, Sara, he did say these screenings will be part of the annual required medical examinations that troops go through.
And he said that if someone is found to be deficient in testosterone, then getting testosterone replacement therapy would be voluntary. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: If treatment is recommended, it's entirely your choice to receive testosterone replacement therapy. This
initiative, it's not about artificial enhancement.
It's about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity and ensuring you have the biological foundation required to
sustain the fight
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:20:00]
HOWARD: Sara, the timing of this initiative is also really interesting. This is being announced just about a month after the Department of Health
and Human Services announced that it is updating the labels on testosterone replacement therapy.
It requested changes, three changes on therapy labels. One change involves removing a statement that the safety and effectiveness of testosterone
replacement therapy has not been established in men with age-related low testosterone.
The two other requested updates involve information related to prostate cancer risk and enlarged prostate. So we are seeing this focus on
testosterone out of the administration right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Now to an exclusive. A CNN investigation has found that U.S. president Trump has promoted his companies on his Truth Social account just
days after he bought stock in those companies.
Those companies include major chipmaker Nvidia, Boeing and Apple. CNN investigative reporter Isabelle Chapman joins me now as well.
Good to see you.
ISABELLE CHAPMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there. Yes. So my colleague Casey Tolan and I took a look at all of president Trump's stock trades and all
his Truth Social posts from last year. And we found dozens of examples where Trump's money managers purchased stock for him.
And then within a week, he posted a complimentary Truth Social message about those same companies, sometimes their executives or their products.
There were also several times he announced government actions that could benefit the companies he just invested in.
Last year, for example, he purchased between $250,000 and $500,000 of stock in Intel. And just a few days later, Trump announced the U.S. government
would be taking on a 10 percent equity stake in Intel.
Another example that stood out to us, remember the controversial Sydney Sweeney ad for American Eagle Outfitters?
Last summer, Trump purchased between $15,000 and $50,000 in the company and, a few days later, he praised the ad. He called it the hottest and said
that jeans were flying off the shelves.
GIOKOS: So what has the White House said about all of this?
CHAPMAN: You know, the White House has said that Trump's money is managed by a third party, that he has no control over any of his stock trades and
that he has never used his office for financial gain.
But historically, presidents have put these kinds of assets in a blind trust, meaning they can't see what their holdings are. Trump's money,
however, is in a trust with his son, Don Jr., as a trustee.
GIOKOS: OK, so what do experts say about what you learned here?
CHAPMAN: Yes. This has raised conflict of interest concerns from ethics watchdogs about whether Trump was using his megaphone to boost his own
investments. One expert I spoke to from the Cato Institute, who actually worked in the first Trump administration during his first term, he called
this an ethics disaster.
GIOKOS: All right, Isabelle, great to see you. Thank you so much.
CHAPMAN: Thanks.
GIOKOS: OK. So I want to get you up to speed on other stories that are on our radar right now.
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GIOKOS (voice-over): The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of weapon systems and related equipment to Saudi Arabia. In a
statement, the State Department said the sale, worth $2 billion, would help to improve the security on non-NATO allies as part of the national security
objectives.
The U.S. is set to impose tariffs of 25 percent on some Brazilian imports starting next week. The U.S. said a year-long investigation found that
Brazil engaged in, quote, "unfair trade practices."
Brazil's president called the tariffs illegal and said he would take countermeasures.
And still to come, the World Cup final is set. What to expect when Spain and Argentina face off for the title on Sunday. That's just ahead.
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[10:25:00]
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GIOKOS (voice-over): Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. Here are your headlines.
Tehran has launched new attacks on Gulf states after a fresh wave of U.S. airstrikes on Iran. Kuwait and Jordan say they intercepted Iranian drone
strikes today. Tehran says it was targeting U.S. bases.
It comes as sources say the U.S. president is weighing his options for expanding military operations in Iran. Tehran is out with a new warning for
Washington.
It says, quote, "Under no circumstances will Iran allow the U.S. to interfere with the Strait of Hormuz," adding that the key waterway is, in
Iran's words, "an unbreakable red line."
The International Energy Agency has warned that the world's crude oil stocks are falling. It comes after many countries relied on oil stockpiles
to absorb the loss of more than a billion barrels of oil since the start of the Iran war.
The agency says that global supplies are dwindling as countries continue to draw down our strategic reserves.
GIOKOS: The World Cup final is set and history is on the line. Argentina take on Spain Sunday in New Jersey. Messi and Argentina are aiming to
become the first back-to-back title holders since 1962, while Spain look for their second-ever crown.
Argentina booked their spot in the final with a come-from-behind victory over England 2-1 in the semifinal in Atlanta on Wednesday. We're joined now
by Mina Rzouki, a sports reporter for "The National." She's live in Dubai for us.
I mean, wow, what an incredible -- what an incredible World Cup. I want to start off with the football before we get into the politics.
What did you make of yesterday's match?
MINA RZOUKI, SPORTS REPORTER, "THE NATIONAL": It was another -- it was another incredible performance from Argentina. This is a team that
absolutely refuses to ever accept defeat.
And the manner in which you can still see Lionel Messi impact and influence the game, even at his age of 39 -- another two assists -- and it just
almost seems like, I mean, Lionel Scaloni, the Argentine head coach, said, this is a team that performs under pressure.
But what was so significant in this match was that England had it in the bag. They were playing very well. They managed to contain England. They
managed to contain Argentina. They actually scored a goal in the 55th minute. They were pressing well.
And then it just seemed a little bit like they'd given up after they scored the goal and went ultra defensive, which we didn't expect.
And the fact is that they had 12 percent possession until the Argentine equalizer. This is an Argentina team that has already scored 11 goals after
the 75th minute. It is a resilient side and it is a side that refuses to accept defeat.
GIOKOS: Yes, exactly. It seems so. OK, so I have to talk about the politics of this, because FIFA has made it clear that players and teams
taking political stances could face consequences.
Yesterday, the Argentinian team celebrated their win by unfolding a banner reading, "Las Malvinas son Argentina's" "The Falklands are Argentine."
How do you think FIFA is going to respond to that?
RZOUKI: Well, FIFA stadium code prohibits political banners, flags and messages, including IFAB football laws also allow competition organizers to
sanction players or teams for displaying political slogans.
So they are expected to wait for the match officials' reports before deciding whether to open disciplinary proceedings. There is no set
timeframe but if we look at 2014 in a warmup match between Argentina and Slovenia, they did the same.
At the time, the players stood behind a banner that said "Las Malvinas son Argentina's." And at the time they were then fined 20,000 pounds, I
believe. But that came after the World Cup. And so we're looking at something similar to that.
[10:30:03]
We know that any type of political messaging is absolutely prohibited. There is precedent set by FIFA in this. We've seen that, in 2012, when
there was an Olympic bronze match and a South Korean midfielder had also done a political messaging and was banned after that.
We've seen it in 2018 when Swiss players, three Swiss players, were fined but not banned for doing a symbolic gesture in their match against Serbia,
demonstrating the flag of Albania. So we know that there will be some disciplinary proceedings. We just don't know how or when or it most likely
it will be.
(CROSSTALK)
GIOKOS: -- the U.K. prime minister -- yes, yes.
And you know the U.K. prime minister's spokesperson said, quote, "The World Cup might not be ours but the Falklands definitely are."
So I mean, we're seeing responses to this. So the stage is set for a pretty incredible final, Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal, interestingly, facing off
on Sunday. The legend versus the next generation. And, of course, there's a really interesting story behind that. It seems that fate was written in,
you know, books many years ago.
What are your predictions?
RZOUKI: This is difficult because, I'll be honest with you, coming into this match, considering that Argentina hadn't played a team ranked in the
top 10 of FIFA world rankings, I wasn't -- and they struggled. They had struggled against Cape Verde. They had struggled against Egypt.
A lot of people talked about the controversy surrounding the refereeing in that game. And then when England took the lead, I thought, this is an
Argentina side that is not as good as the one that we saw in the last World Cup. That does have problems.
And yet the resilience makes me think that this isn't a team we can discount. However, nobody thought that Spain would beat France. France had
come in with the best attack in the tournament. They were clearly superior to any team that they had faced.
And yet Spain was so dominant in that match, absolutely brilliant on a tactical level; read the game perfectly. And honestly, I think with the
fact that they had won the Euros, they have a team that understands how to defend and attack. They've only conceded one goal.
And I do think in international competitions, defensive strength counts for more. I personally am predicting a Spanish win. It is what I said in my
first show with Becky Anderson. And I'm going to continue going with that.
But Argentina, could they make a double?
I don't know, it's a very difficult thing to do.
GIOKOS: Yes. I know, right. But we'll be watching. Very exciting. Listen, this tournament is coming to a close and I want to get like your big
picture reflections on how it went.
Because frankly, the football has been amazing. There's been a lot of criticism around some of the referee decisions on certain big matches.
But you know, what is -- what is your overall perspective?
RZOUKI: You know, it's interesting because we walked into this World Cup and all we ever talked about were the political issues. You know, how
Donald Trump was proceeding, how certain referees were not allowed.
And it took more of a political tone than an actual sporting one. There was lots of controversy. But the beauty of the World Cup is that sport always
overtakes and always gives us these special moments that we will continue to talk about and discuss long into the future, such as Cape Verde's
performance, for example, an absolute minnow.
Their first debutants; we didn't think that would do as well as they did. And yet it was just fantastic to watch them. It was fantastic to watch the
fact that there were so many surprises, such as Spain beating France, even though they were an astonishingly good team.
France was so superior, there were just some really beautiful moments, I thought. A lot of unity that we saw in the fans; for example, Iraq being
back in it after 40 years and the political landscape about that.
And yet the fans were in the streets in Detroit and everywhere and celebrating with the Scottish fans. So I feel like football always unites,
even when governments or politics try to do the opposite.
GIOKOS: It does.
RZOUKI: And it's -- this is why we love sport. And so I think, despite all the problems coming in, it's been a beautiful World Cup, genuinely a
beautiful one. And we look forward to the next one.
GIOKOS: Yes, sport is like a huge unifier. And also just a shoutout to all the African teams because, incredible show of force, historic, frankly, for
this tournament. So, yes, so very exciting times. We'll all be watching very closely. And thank you so much for your insights. Great to have you on
the show.
All right, so New York mayor Zohran Mamdani visited Rikers Island jail and joined inmates watching England face Argentina in Wednesday's World Cup
semifinal. More than 100 inmates were rewarded for their good behavior with a viewing party and catered meal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Massive World Cup, I guarantee you.
[10:35:00]
MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D-NY), NYC: World Cup has been a magical moment for the entire city. These are New Yorkers and they will be New Yorkers when
they get out of Rikers. They're New Yorkers today. And I wanted to make sure that we can celebrate this moment together.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The vibe is real good. You know, I'm sitting at the table with a lot of Argentina fans. But it's all right, though. We are
having a good -- a good time. You know. It's been real great. Real great. Energy is real positive in here. And I love it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Rikers is, of course, not far from New Jersey, where Sunday's final will take place.
Now back to one of our top stories. The International Energy Agency has warned that the world's crude oil stocks are falling. They have been
sounding the alarm bell, frankly, since the start of the Iran War. We've got CNN's Anna Stewart following the story for us and following it from
London.
Anna, good to see you. Frankly, the International Energy Agency has really been, you know, very vocal on just the consequences of the closure of the
Strait of Hormuz. It started to release 400 million barrels of oil. That is not going to be enough to make up for the losses.
Where are we sitting right now in terms of stockpiles?
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the IEA holds over 1.8 billion barrels in reserve. So the 400 million really is a -- is a fraction of
that. Some governments actually hold more and mandate certain companies to hold more for them as well.
If no oil could be traded anywhere in the world, if all global trade was stopped -- were to stop tomorrow, reserves should last around three months
for countries. That's the way it is designed.
Now clearly trade isn't grinding to a halt here. But we have a significant constraint with the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. But the IEA
is concerned. And speaking to CNN's Jim Sciutto, the head of the IEA, Fatih Birol, had this warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FATIH BIROL, IEA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: So if the problem is not solved fully and if the state is not open unconditionally, we may well have some
difficult days. So we are prepared for that. But I would say that the global economy is not off the hook yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: The key issue here is that reserves are being drawn down. They are there for a very good reason, for any shocks in the future. And clearly
the situation is far from being resolved. So I think this is a warning, really, that this situation really can't last forever. And alternatives
need to be found as well.
GIOKOS: Yes, it's a really good point. And frankly, you know, since we've seen escalation in the strait and with the U.S. striking Iran once again,
we've actually seen commercial vessels transiting, really just come down significantly over the past few days. International Monetary Fund warning
of the consequences. Take me through that.
STEWART: Yes. Looking at the traffic that we've seen in the strait Wednesday, there were just 13 merchant ships transiting. And looking at
data from Kpler here. That's about a 10th of what we would have seen before the war.
Now some vessels may actually just be switching off their transport transponders and making that trip. We will never really know. In addition
to the emergency reserves that we've spoken about from the IEA, other countries are trying out different things.
Of course, there's increased production from some countries like the U.S., Kazakhstan, Brazil, China. And other countries are leaning more on their
domestically made oil and refined products.
Saudi Arabia is leaning more on the East-West Pipeline. And there are discussions, of course, about whether that can be expanded. So there are
other things to try and cushion what is a huge fall from global oil supply, reaching the places it needs to be around the world.
But also, I think perhaps a redrawing of the map much longer term. Ever since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed the very first time, this
is now in the minds of investors. They now want to see alternatives because this is always now going to be a very real risk on the table.
GIOKOS: Exactly. And all the other solutions will take time but, in the meantime, hopefully we can see an increase in the traffic through the
strait. But you know, a lot can change in the next 24 hours. Anna Stewart, really good to have you with us. Thank you so much.
All right. We're going to a short break. I'll be back right after this. Stick with CNN.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:40:00]
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GIOKOS: Welcome back.
Multiple water rescuers are -- and rescues are underway in Texas as the U.S. National Weather Service warns a large and deadly flood wave is
surging. The Guadalupe River rose more than seven meters in an hour, nearing a crest.
The relentless rain is hitting the same area of the Camp Mystic flooding, which left more than 130 people dead last year.
(WEATHER REPORT)
[10:45:15]
GIOKOS: All right. Nearly 3,500 fires have burned millions of acres in Canada this summer. The country's wildfire season has turned skies orange
and is sending massive plumes of smoke over the border into the United States.
As a result, air quality alerts were issued in the Midwest and Northeast regions of the U.S., including Boston and New York. The smoke carries fine
particles that could cause health problems if they are inhaled.
A bill aimed at making housing more affordable in the United States is now law. The 21st Century Road to Housing Act was supported by both Republicans
and Democrats. CNN's Jenn Sullivan breaks down what's in the bill and how it aims to solve the housing crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENN SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Owning a home has long been part of the American dream but it's becoming less of a reality for many as
housing prices soar.
LAWRENCE YUN, CHIEF ECONOMIST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS: Home prices reaching record high condition.
SULLIVAN (voice-over): Lawrence Yun with the National Association of Realtors says home prices keep going up and aren't likely to come down
anytime soon. The median home sale price in June was just over $440,000, according to the National Association of Realtors.
In June of 2016, it was just over $247,000. That's nearly an 80 percent increase in just 10 years. High mortgage rates and not enough housing is
driving up prices. Experts say there's simply not enough homes to meet the demand.
That's where this new housing bill can help. The 21st Century Road to Housing Act is all about creating and building more homes by allowing
factories and offices to be converted into apartments. It authorizes pilot programs to offer grants and forgivable loans to fix older homes that have
fallen into disrepair.
YUN: You remove some of the excessive regulations so the builders can be a little more active.
SULLIVAN (voice-over): Critics of the bill say home building could be slowed by local zoning laws. This law does include provisions to encourage
states and local governments to adopt land use and zoning policies that are more supportive of housing development.
Yun says the law won't solve the housing crisis but taking several smaller measures to create more supply will help over time -- for Consumer Watch,
I'm Jenn Sullivan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: We'll be back after this short break.
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GIOKOS: Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan has built a career creating blockbuster films that dominate pop culture, including
"Oppenheimer," "Inception" and his Batman trilogy. Now he's taking on a bold retelling of Homer's ancient epic poem, "The Odyssey." CNN's Tom Page
sat down with Nolan to discuss his eagerly awaited film.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM PAGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ready to discuss "The Odyssey," sir?
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN, OSCAR-WINNING FILM DIRECTOR: I am.
(VIDEO CLIP, "THE ODYSSEY")
PAGE (voice-over): Christopher Nolan returns to cinemas with his most ambitious film yet, an adaptation of "The Odyssey."
(VIDEO CLIP, "THE ODYSSEY")
PAGE (voice-over): Nolan's take on the Greek epic, set over 3,000 years ago, has a lot of people excited.
Why?
PAGE: Well, there's a few reasons. One, it's a massive summer blockbuster. Two, it's a full circle moment for Nolan. And three, if you love cinema or
even just love stories, you should probably care about "The Odyssey."
[10:50:00]
I'll let Nolan explain.
NOLAN: At first sight, you look at the poem and it feels very alien. It feels of another time, another society. You're very conscious of the
differences.
And then as you engage with the text and as you engage with the story, suddenly you start to realize that, no, nothing's changed. These are
primal, elemental storytelling things and ideas about society. And that's why Homer sustains.
PAGE: Is it impossible to overstate its importance on storytellers such as yourself?
NOLAN: I think it is impossible to overstate. In adapting it, you start unpacking the mechanism. You start unpacking the story modules, models and
the tropes.
And, of course, as a filmmaker, we suddenly realize it's, everything I've done in the past that I thought was stunningly original, all the rest all
derives from Homer, from "The Odyssey."
It's all stories combined. It's, you know, a family story. It's a coming home story. It's a coming of age story. It's about war and love and death
and all of these things are so important to us as human beings.
PAGE: It also underpins many incredible movies. Without "The Odyssey," we might not have "2001: A Space Odyssey," "The Wages of Fear," " Apocalypse
Now," "After Hours," -- "Lord of the Rings."
Cinema owes homer a great debt. That includes Nolan, too.
PAGE (voice-over): A complicated man, a forgotten story, an improbable journey, a homecoming, a story of the horrors of war, a story of the
horrors after war and civilization on the brink.
Many roads have led Nolan back to "The Odyssey."
PAGE: There's a circular nature of you being able to play your greatest hits, in a way.
NOLAN: Oh, yes.
PAGE: "The Odyssey" is all about time. The poem is non-linear, folding back on itself like "Memento," "Dunkirk" and "Tenet." It frames stories
within stories like "Inception." It stretches and contracts over many years, like "Oppenheimer" and "Interstellar."
Understandably, Nolan told me he didn't want to overcomplicate the writing process.
NOLAN: I don't let myself start writing. For many months, I take notes, I draw diagrams, I think of the film in more abstract terms. Ironically, for
somebody who tends to work often in non-linear structural terms, I do start with page one and I do just write, you know, through to the end.
PAGE: Back to the big themes. "The Odyssey" is also a love story. Odysseus is trying to return to his wife, Penelope, and their son, Telemachus, who
he hasn't seen for 20 years.
It's a love undimmed by space and time. Like Cobb, Leonardo DiCaprio's dream thief in "Inception," or Cooper, the astronaut played by Matthew
McConaughey in "Interstellar."
(VIDEO CLIP, "INTERSTELLAR")
PAGE: They also just want to get back to their families.
Why is this something you return to?
And I hope I'm not overstepping the mark here.
But has your family ever asked you about this?
NOLAN: No. Families, starting with Emma, who produces all the films so involved with the production. And actually all four of my kids worked on
"The Odyssey." So, no, they've never bothered to ask about it.
For me, it's fairly straightforward. I mean, I work in a field where the work becomes at times all-consuming and it carries you away from your
family and around the world. Emma and I have done a very good job of taking our family with us as we've worked.
But even that's not possible all the time. And so, certainly, like so many people, so many parents, I have found a lot of my adult working life
drawing me away from the family And that yearning to get back and that feeling of time spent away is time, precious time lost. It's something, I
think as parents, we all share that feeling.
PAGE: As for Odysseus, one of the versions of the poem begins, "Tell me about a complicated man."
That's an understatement.
NOLAN: The character of Odysseus is quite challenging because, I mean, the term most often associated with Odysseus historically is wily. And that's
not a characteristic you associate with the hero at the center of a story.
He's more Han Solo than Luke Skywalker.
So the challenge is, OK, how do you take the audience with him on this journey with all of those characteristics?
I think a big part of that is finding somebody like Matt Damon, who is such an incredible actor and a wonderful movie star with charisma, with
empathetic ability. You trust him. He's able to gain your trust.
PAGE: How do you feel that Odysseus fits in with maybe your other complicated men in films past?
NOLAN: Well, I think the relationship with "Oppenheimer" is an interesting one. it wasn't something I was that aware of as I was working on the
adaptation.
(VIDEO CLIP, "OPPENHEIMER")
[10:55:04]
NOLAN: With every film leading character that I've dealt with, I feel like, if I've done my job right and I've fully engaged, I'm left with
unanswered questions. I'm left with themes that rattle around these resonances that you want to carry into the next work.
And with "The Odyssey," certainly by the end of it, I found a lot of interesting parallels and interesting connections between the figure of
Odysseus and the figure of Oppenheimer.
PAGE: Two stories, millennia apart, sharing the same DNA. "The Odyssey" isn't some dusty old poem. Its plot and literary devices echo through
history.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: That's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Thanks so much for joining us. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.
END
