Return to Transcripts main page

Connect the World

U.S. Signals Pause In Iran Strikes For Diplomatic Push; Berlin Pride Attack Suspect Shot Dead By Police After Extensive Manhunt; United States Casualty Count Eclipses 600 As Pentagon Updates Data; Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Heading To Washington; More Than 300,000 Evacuated In France And Spain; Fires, Extreme Heat Creating Dangerous Conditions. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired July 27, 2026 - 10:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:01:11]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to the second hour of the show. I'm Becky Anderson in London. Time here just after 3:00 in the

afternoon. We begin with fears of new fronts opening up as conflict grips the Middle East and beyond.

In a stunning development, Iran claiming Ukraine attacked one of its vessels in the Caspian Sea over the weekend. Tehran says at least one

person was killed and is now threatening retaliation.

Fighting has also intensified between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. This image from NASA appears to show a plume of smoke rising

around a Saudi refinery after the Houthis claimed strikes on Saudi infrastructure. All this, despite U.S. military operations against Iran

appearing to be on hold. But even though the U.S. is signaling new diplomatic efforts, Tehran suggests otherwise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): No, do not pay much attention to the media speculation. As I

said, we currently have no negotiations with America.

The negotiations that we have, and which may genuinely be subject to different interpretations, are the negotiations we have with Oman. They are

focused on creating the necessary arrangements regarding the Strait of Hormuz.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, Nic Robertson has the regional reaction. He's in Jerusalem for you today, while Zachary Cohen is in Washington.

Nic, let's start with you. And what do we understand happened in the Caspian Sea, and how concerned should we be at this point about this

conflict that between the U.S. and Iran expanding into a new front?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It certainly has all the characteristics that that could happen. The Caspian Sea, of course, has

been used to connect Iran and Russia for a long time, trading across it. And what Iran is saying about this incident, they're saying that a ship

that was coming from Astrakhan at the northern end of the Caspian Sea was traveling, carrying steel to Iran. Anzali was the port Bandar-e Anzali at

the southern end of the Caspian Sea, about 600 miles away, about a thousand kilometers, and that's what the Iranians say was struck-a vessel simply

coming from Russia to them, carrying raw steel and one person was killed, and three were injured.

Now, President Zelenskyy in Ukraine, his understanding of their strike, a Ukraine strike is different. He says that this was an Iranian ship or a

ship bringing Iranian weapons to Russia. And as we know, Russia has been using over the last more than four years Shahed and other types of drones

that have been made in Iran and supplied to Russia, Russia's learnt from those drones, augmented them, supplemented them, but lent heavily at times

on Iran's support for weapons to be used in Ukraine.

So, from President Zelenskyy's point of view, that was a legitimate target.

And the Ukrainians, for about the past eight or nine months, have been targeting Russian facilities inside the Caspian Sea. They've hit an oil

terminal there, as well as some other shipping. But the crunch point of what you're saying here is, does this escalate the war? And if you listen

to what Iranian leaders are saying, we've heard from the spokesman at the Foreign Ministry in Tehran and other senior Iranian officials saying

Ukraine should not expect to get away with this. They should expect there to be a response. And one senior parliamentarian in Iran said, you know,

the U.S. and Israel have learnt that lesson.

[10:05:00]

So, Iran is very clearly signaling that it would choose a military response to Ukraine, and in that context, suddenly the war between the U.S. and Iran

and in the Gulf just balls westwards and has a whole other potential theater of military operation for the Iranians. They haven't done anything

yet. They're speaking about it, in the past when they've spoken about it, they do follow through.

ANDERSON: Yes, threatening retaliation. Yes, absolutely.

Zach, let me bring you in here. You've reported that J.D. Vance and General Dan Caine have raised concerns about any further escalation with Iran. Just

explain what you've -- explain your reporting and what you've learned.

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Becky, prior to this temporary pause in U.S. military strikes, we know that President Trump

was considering his options to potentially escalate the conflict and convened a meeting with his top advisers at the White House on Friday. And

it was during this meeting we're told that both Vance and General Dan Caine, his chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, both raised concerns

about potentially escalating the conflict, regardless of which option the president may have chosen there, and that's for a few reasons.

Caine, we're told specifically raising concerns about a diminishing stockpile of key U.S. munitions, including air defense systems like the

ones not only used by U.S. forces but also regional partners in the Middle East and beyond. Really key to defending these countries and these U.S.

military installations around the world from incoming ballistic missile attacks and in some cases incoming drone attacks and they've expended a

significant number the U.S. has of those munitions during this conflict in Iran so far.

This is something we've reported on since back in April, where critical -- these critical stockpiles have been diminishing because they are firing

more missiles and using more of these munitions than they can replace, and they're doing it faster than they can replace them.

So, that was one of the concerns raised by Caine during this meeting. But we're also told that Caine also warned of several other potential second

and third order effects if Donald Trump did move to escalate the military campaign against Iran, including things like massive civilian casualties

inside Iran, if the U.S. were to do things like strike civilian infrastructure, energy, power plants, bridges, things of that nature, as

well as potentially sparking a refugee crisis if this conflict ultimately started to spiral out of control. That's something we know that General

Caine and other advisers in this meeting were warning President Trump about ahead of this temporary pause, saying that the threat of regional

escalation was very real.

And that's something we've heard also from regional officials as well, saying that they're really focused on trying to keep this contained. And it

goes to what Nic was reporting about the potential of a second front. That's something I think all parties, the U.S. included, are trying to

avoid.

ANDERSON: Yes, and I want to get back to Nic to talk about what we are seeing and hearing from Saudi at this point, because again, you know, the

risk of this sort of very focused U.S.-Iran conflict expanding around the region again very high at this point.

Before I do that, that while Vance and Caine were warning about escalation, we continue to hear from sort of Republican lawmakers, you know, the

drumbeat for a tougher approach by the U.S. And I want our viewers to listen to this newly surfaced footage of the now late Lindsey Graham

speaking recently with Benjamin Netanyahu. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I'm going to meet with the president this weekend. I'm going down to Doral. I'm going to try to get him to join with

you all in Lebanon to maybe fly some with you. Would you like that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I get that. I think -- I think you have a point, but I've been thinking about the other side of it for a second. We're

concentrating right now on Iran. If we tell Hezbollah that we're going all the way, we threaten them. But if we actually do it, then they have no

reason not to go all the way against us.

And right now, that's not our interest. We can do it later.

GRAHAM: Well, I'll -- OK. Well, that's actually good counsel. I'll put it out there as an idea. We can always go back to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Interesting. Zach, and it also speaks to the sort of multi- dimensional sort of sense of this regional conflict. What do you think that tells us about the divide in Washington over what's going on?

COHEN: Yes, Becky. Inherently, within the Republican Party itself, we've actually seen a fracturing take place over the Iran war. There is really a

anti-interventionist wing of the Republican Party, including many supporters of President Trump, who really leaned into his message on the

campaign trail of not starting any new wars and do feel betrayed. And you're seeing this reflected in political polling here in the U.S. Betrayed

by this extended conflict that we now -- the U.S. now finds itself in.

[10:10:16]

And at the same time, there are still members of the Republican Party, including some of the more institutional senior lawmakers on Capitol Hill,

who are pushing for President Trump to take an even stronger stance against Iran.

One phrase I continue to hear from those type of hawkish officials is they want President Trump to, "Finish the job." Yet I've still, in conversations

I've had over the last several weeks even, it's still unclear to me what that even would look like. The administration's goals in this conflict have

shifted so many times, and President Trump has reiterated over and over again that the objective is to prevent Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear

weapon.

But at this stage in the conflict, there appears to be no viable or immediate path militarily or diplomatically toward achieving that. And so,

you do have these two sort of competing motives and intentions within the Republican Party itself, and you're seeing President Trump sort of wrestle

with that in real time as he sort of swings in his public messaging between very bombastic language threatening Iran on social media like he did over

the weekend, but then also insisting that they want to make a deal and pushing his advisers and negotiators to continue talking.

So, ultimately, sort of results in a situation where the U.S. and the president seems to find himself stuck in a way, and it will be interesting

to see with the midterms coming up here in the U.S. especially how that looming election might impact how the Trump administration handles this

going forward.

ANDERSON: And it's a question that people around the Gulf region, the GCC, are asking themselves too.

Nic, it is the Gulf, of course, and Lebanon, which is still in the crosshairs. And I've got to get your response today to what is going on in

Saudi. We have seen strikes claimed by the Houthis over the weekend on oil infrastructure there, and some reporting today that has been responded to

by the Defense Ministry in Saudi of drone attacks by Iran-backed militia from Iraq. What's your perspective on what we are seeing in that front, as

it were?

ROBERTSON: Yes, it's complex, and let's try and boil it down and make it simple. Take the big picture look. Saudi Arabia, massive country on the

Arabian Peninsula, massive amount of oil wealth underneath its ground. Significant number of oil terminals scattered all across the country in the

east, in the -- in the sort of northeast, and other vital places across the country.

Yet on its longest borders to the north, Iraq, it has the hostile Iran- backed Iraqi -- sorry, the long border in the north with Iraq has the hostile Iran-backed Iraqi militias that have a history and a very recent

history, even today, of attacking Saudi Arabia. It has a huge long border with Yemen in the south, where the Houthis hold sway, and the Houthis, as

you say over the weekend, targeting a Saudi oil refinery in Jazan, putting a sort of a dent in its oil storage capacity there, sending plumes of smoke

for many, many tens of miles, if not hundred miles or so, out into the atmosphere.

And then just across the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Gulf, if you will, again essentially a long sea border, but across the other side of that border is

Iran. Saudi is surrounded by potential adversaries, and they all link back into Iran.

So, Saudi is in a very, very difficult position when it comes to how to respond. It needs its Gulf allies and partners. It's warming its

relationship with the UAE. It depends on the United States. It has a very sophisticated air force, but its problems cannot be solved simply by air

force strikes. This is a situation now where the Saudis must consider very carefully who their friends in the region are going to be, and this gets to

what the Abraham Accords that we know Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's left here today. He'll be in Washington tomorrow. He'll be pushing that

issue with President Trump.

It's very critical for the Saudis how they respond to these different adversaries because all three can team up at the same time. And going back

to their oil facilities around the country, that leaves their wealth incredibly exposed. They don't want to lose the ability, and they've been

targeted many times before to produce their oil. That's their future wealth. That's their dilemma at the moment, Becky.

[10:15:02]

ANDERSON: It's good to have you both. Thank you.

I want to introduce into the show this hour a good friend of the show, Jasmine El-Gamal. She's a former Middle East advisor for the U.S. Defense

Department, the founder and CEO of Averos Strategies. She's also the host of the podcast The View from Here. She joins us from London today, and it's

great to have you.

We've just been -- I hope you heard talking there to Zach and to Nic. Washington perspective from Zach and Nic giving us a sense of what he sees

around the Gulf region, not least the thinking for Saudi now and going forward there. As we enter what is the sixth month of this sort of wider

U.S.-Iran conflict, if you want to call it that, what do you make of where we are at?

JASMINE EL-GAMAL, FORMER MIDDLE EAST ADVISOR, U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT: Becky, it's so good to be with you as always. Thanks for having me. I think

if you look at the trajectory of this war, it really has gone from, you know, President Trump saying that this is going to be a regime change war,

saying that to the Iranians that the U.S. was there to help. Help was on its way. Talking about the nuclear program as one of the top priorities of

the United States to now, where we have this incredible and incredibly delicate convergence of factors and actors that have turned this into

something Completely potentially unmanageable if President Trump doesn't kind of take the opportunity to reset.

Now, what I mean by that is that there are so many actors now involved. You're talking about Iraq. We're talking about Saudi Arabia and all of the

different threats that it faces, that Nic so clearly articulated, Kuwait, Qatar, all of these countries that are now looking around them and seeing

myriads of threats and trying to figure out how they are going to move forward, dependent on the U.S. and the way it sees the way forward. Is the

U.S. going to continue to escalate, or is the U.S. going to understand that the only solution here is a diplomatic one?

But you also have two domestic factors that are thrown into the mix, which is the Israeli elections and the U.S. midterm elections that are both

coming up, and we can't discount the political factors that are influencing some of these decisions that have to be made.

So, the more factors that are introduced and that have been introduced into the mix over the last several months, the more complex and difficult it

becomes to solve the issue, because then it becomes about so many different issues, and that's what President Trump, the Iranians, all the actors are

dealing with right now: is how to prevent escalation and start looking at all of these different variables and trying to find a diplomatic way to

resolve them. It's a very tall order, Becky, and it's a huge challenge, and it's a very, very delicate moment like I said.

ANDERSON: And Jasmine, you will be keenly aware, as I am, when you talk to people around the Middle East, that you get this sort of prevail, and

certainly have done for about the last two or three years, this prevailing sort of school of thought that there is an opportunity to navigate a new

Middle East, certainly from the perspective of Gulf countries of Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, but that necessitates dealing with Iran.

And so, to a degree, what has happened with Iran was sort of expected and encouraged to a degree by countries around the region. Although this is

sort of the worst-case scenario that we've got now into this sort of frozen conflict, and so what happens next, particularly for these Gulf neighbors,

is really really important.

CNN reporting that J.D. Vance and General Dan Caine have raised concerns about further escalation with Iran. I wonder whether you see this as

pointing to divisions in Washington over how the U.S. goes about this war, how Tehran might view those differences, and the fact that we are hundred

days out from the midterms makes any difference at all at this point.

EL-GAMAL: Right, Becky, you bring up two very important points here. One is the shifting dynamics in the region, and what is happening within the

region, within relationships between different countries in the region in terms of how they want to try to address these issues, and also what's

happening inside of Washington. And again, those two dynamics are linked.

[10:20:10]

Now, every person I speak to in the region, in fact, just today I came from speaking to an official of one of the countries in the region, who was

telling me that they see this moment in the Middle East as shifting towards a multipolar Middle Eastern moment, in the sense that there are certain

analysts, or maybe even in Washington, folks who are trying to turn this into a sort of bipolar kind of linear moment, where you have, you know, the

Abrahamic countries and the non-Abrahamic countries, of course, speaking about countries that have signed the Abraham Accords.

But the issue is so much more complex than that because if that framing, if you look at it from the framing of the Abraham Accords, which is what

Israel wants, which what Prime Minister Netanyahu wants, and what President Trump has recently restated when speaking about the Saudi nuclear deal,

you're really making Israel the center of the region and regional concerns. When actually regional concerns are much wider than that, it's about energy

diversification, it's about Iran, the relationship with the U.S. and so many more issues.

So, she, this -- so it's important, I think, to kind of take a step back and look at this from this multipolar perspective.

Now, when it comes to the conversation in Washington, you're absolutely right that there is -- there are two minds right now. One is military

action is not working. More of the same is not going to get us closer to what we want to do, which is open up the Strait of Hormuz by force, and

that's what General Caine is saying to President Trump. He's saying, look, we can continue to do this militarily, but it just won't get you the

response that you want.

And then you have those who are arguing for that stepping back that I'm talking about, looking at the issues holistically, looking at the concerns

of countries in the region, what Iran wants to gain out of this, and understanding that diplomatic solution where you bring all of these actors

together, and by the way, Qatar and Aman continue to be very active in putting ideas on the table. That that is the way forward is to look at

those ideas, examine them, give them the time they deserve, and start moving forward diplomatically, as opposed to this uncontrolled potentially

escalation that we're seeing in the region right now.

ANDERSON: It's absolutely fascinating, and the -- you know, the weeks and months to come will be so telling, I think.

Look, meantime, in the next 24 hours, we have got Benjamin Netanyahu heading to Washington. Is it clear at this point what his message to Donald

Trump will be? What are his intentions with regard Israel, Israel's involvement in what is going on? It's stepped back to a degree from the

Gulf region, although clearly still very primed on the Lebanon file. What's your sense?

EL-GAMAL: Well, again, you can't separate Prime Minister Netanyahu's conversations with President Trump, from Prime Minister Netanyahu's

electoral campaign in within Israel.

And so, if you look at his messaging, Becky, he's really framing this visit as a mission, and he used those words. He said this mission to go to the

United States. He made sure to mention in his social media post about this visit that it was his eighth visit to the United States. That it is more

than any other international leader.

So he's really, after weeks and even months of reported tensions between the two leaders, is trying to relay that message to the Israeli public that

he has a very close relationship with President Trump and that it almost is, it's a consultative relationship that he's going there to represent

Israeli interests and the interests of the state of Israel, but he is also consulting with the U.S. president on the next steps vis-a-vis Iran.

Now, whether he is able to convince President Trump to continue to put on the pressure militarily remains to be seen, because this time, given

everything we just talked about, Becky, about the potential for uncontrolled escalation and all the different factors that abound, Prime

Minister Netanyahu's arguments will be met by very staunch objections and alternative viewpoints from people like General Caine, J.D. Vance, who are

saying, look, you've made this case for military action. Look at where it's gotten us. More of the same is not going to work.

[10:25:01]

So, this is going to be a really interesting, potentially consequential meeting, both for the way Prime Minister Netanyahu is positioning himself

back home, and also for the way forward with the Iran war and of course Lebanon as well, we can't -- you mentioned that in in your conversation

earlier. Lebanon is also going to be a very important topic in this in this discussion. And Netanyahu's visit comes on the heels of President Aoun's

visit to Washington D.C. where they had their own conversations, the Lebanese with the president making the case for their own national security

interests and what they need from the U.S. in the region.

ANDERSON: We are navigating a new Middle East. What that looks like going forward, whether it's a new and better sort of you know situation for the

people of the region, will remains to be seen. But it is fascinating to observe this and to be reporting on it, and it's very good to have you,

Jasmine, to fill in some of the gaps. Thank you very much indeed.

Still to come, a deadly attack in the heart of Berlin as Germany confronts what authorities there are calling a case of Islamist terror.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, Germany coping with the aftermath of what authorities are calling an Islamist terror attack near Berlin's Pride celebrations. Police

shot and killed the 21-year-old German suspect Sunday after a massive manhunt. Investigates say that the attacker killed one person, injured 29

others at Tiergarten Park on Saturday. I spoke earlier with CNN's Frederik Pleitgen about the tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And actually, inside that Tiergarten Park that you were just talking about, we're

actually right on the area on that path where this ramming attack took place. I'm actually at the end of where this person drove through that

crowd, as you were talking about people who were going and coming from that Pride Parade. The actual route of the parade, I would say, is about maybe

200 yards in that direction.

But as you can imagine, with that park right next to it, a lot of people were coming and going via that park.

I want to draw your attention to something because you can see this tree here. This is actually where the car ran into this tree and came to a

standstill, if you will. Probably the fact that it hit this tree may have actually saved a lot of other people. In the end, 29 people were injured.

One person had succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead.

But you can see the tree barely moved. But a lot of the bark was taken off, and I can tell you we were here for the better part of Sunday. We watched

the forensic crews work on that wrecked car, and the front of that car was absolutely destroyed.

So, the police are saying that the suspect definitely plowed through here at an enormous pace. And there's really two questions that the authorities

are asking now. One of them is they had a pretty big and elaborate security concept to make sure that no vehicles actually get into this park, and

somehow that vehicle still managed to breach that perimeter. There were a lot of barriers that were set up, and the other big question is whether or

not the suspect, a man named Abdul B., who is a German of Lebanese descent, whether or not he was acting alone in that vehicle alone, or whether or not

there were other people inside as well.

[10:30:11]

All of those investigations are ongoing. The police, obviously, finding out things by the hour. A lot of that's still very fresh. At the same time, you

do have German politicians obviously coming forward. A lot of people here in the city obviously coming forward in mourning.

You can actually see, I think, over there, some people have laid down some flowers here, very close to the place where this -- where this ramming

rampage ended. As you can imagine, the country very much in shock. A lot of other people in Europe also in shock as well, as the German chancellor has

come out and said that Germans will stand strong in the face of extremism. Becky.

ANDERSON: Well, this July has become the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since April of 2022. Russian attacks this month have killed at

least 377 civilians, injuring more than 2,000. The onslaught from several ballistic missiles targeting Kyiv, which are difficult to intercept.

President Zelenskyy continues to appeal for more Patriot and other air defense systems capable of countering these attacks.

Right. Coming up this hour for you, heat waves continue to grip Europe as firefighters race to contain raging blazes in France and in Spain. The

latest developments for you are coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: All right. Welcome back. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, out of London this week. These are your headlines:

Tehran condemning what it says is a Ukrainian strike on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea. Over the weekend, Kyiv said it targeted ships that were

transporting military cargo from Iran to Russia. Iranian officials say the vessel was carrying iron from Russia to Iran.

Germany's chancellor urging the country to stand united after what authorities there are calling an Islamist terror attack near Berlin's Pride

celebrations.

Police shot and killed the 21-year-old German suspect on Sunday after a massive manhunt. Investigators say that the attacker killed one person and

injured 29 others in Saturday's assault.

Well, three people have been killed and at least four others injured following a shooting at a food festival in Seattle, in Washington on Sunday

night. One suspect has been taken into custody, and authorities are searching for one other person believed to be involved.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy says it may be time for Congress to vote on whether to authorize the war in Iran.

[10:35:02]

Cassidy previously walked back his vote to rein in President Trump's war powers in in Iran in late June, despite initially being in favor.

On Sunday, he told CNN that the president has had the opportunity to achieve his initial goals and that it is now time for Congress to weigh in.

Well, as Mr. Trump reaches another fork in the road, his options, it does seem, are becoming narrower.

So, CNN's Stephen Collinson, at least who joins me now from Washington. And in your latest analysis -- it's good to have you, Steve. Thank you.

You write: "Trump finds himself back in a familiar spot. He's tried to coerce Iranian concessions with intensified attacks. But this plan is not

working any better now than it did after the initial round of fighting."

So, as this conflict enters its sixth month, Stephen, what options does he have left?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: It's very difficult, and if you sit there and try and think of the options, you also have to think

of the possible options that Trump might actually pursue because of who he is.

So, one option would be a massive military escalation. He's already indicated that he doesn't want to put troops on the ground because that

would be politically impossible.

Another option, and therefore, if you assume that the U.S. doesn't believe that Iran is serious about talks, which it keeps saying that it believes,

or at least, the president does, is to prolong this blockade for months and months. That might be something that would create massive pressure on the

Iranian economy, notwithstanding the fact that the Iranians obviously don't really care that much their leaders about the price that their countrymen

will pay.

The problem there is, does Trump have the stomach for that? Does he have the strategic patience to see that out? And is that politically palatable

in the United States? Given that Iran would probably respond by, again, attacking shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. And that would create these

economic effects.

One other possibility would be to try and broaden this. I was interested what your previous guest was saying about the need to involve Gulf allies.

In any other passage of American modern history, we would be talking about the Europeans and the Americans trying to get together to build pressure on

Iran, to try to build pressure on China, for example, to get involved, and even the Russians. But the whole -- in many ways, this is almost like

America's first post-West war. The whole Western compact has been fractured. You didn't get any consultation from these countries, American

allies in Europe before this started, and there is literally no political incentive for them, I think, to try to help Trump.

ANDERSON: Yes.

COLLINSON: Andy Burnham, for example, the new PM of Britain, doesn't seem very likely to spend political capital to help out Donald Trump right now

at the beginning of his mandate. So, it's very difficult.

And any solutions would require the president to admit that he was wrong in his approach, and that is something which he never does. So, it's very

difficult to see how we can move forward in any, you know, meaning way right now.

ANDERSON: Stephen, whether or not he's in any mood to hear sort of further counsel, he will be getting some from two guests this week: Benjamin

Netanyahu and Ukraine's President Zelenskyy will both visit Donald Trump, as I understand it, as early as tomorrow, Tuesday.

It will be busy for Trump on all fronts, not least with Ukraine stepping into the Iran crossfire with the attacks on an Iranian ship or ships in the

Caspian Sea over the weekend.

What are you expecting from these two visits?

COLLINSON: You know, this is absolutely fascinating. Because if you look at the two leaders who have had, perhaps, the most interesting public

exchanges with the president, it would be Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Zelenskyy. Of course, that notorious Oval Office showdown early

in the administration.

You would think that there's a possibility that the president would harbor some resentment towards Prime Minister Netanyahu, because there is a lot of

talk in the United States about Israel getting the United States into this situation. Although, you know, the U.S. president is sovereign, he makes

decisions about U.S. armed forces and when to deploy them. But obviously, Netanyahu is a very skillful politician and has shown he could work with

Trump and try to, you know, bend Trump's rhetoric to his own political advantage inside Israel.

[10:40:04]

The Zelenskyy thing is very interesting, because the president in recent weeks, including a recent visit to Europe, seemed to acknowledge tacitly,

at least, that Ukraine is now getting the upper hand in the -- in the Ukrainian war against Russia, and there does seem to be a willingness from

the administration to look at that again in terms of its negotiations.

ANDERSON: Yes. Good to have you. Busy week in Washington. Good luck. Thank you for that. We will speak later this week, I'm sure.

Well, scorching temperatures and parched landscapes turning Europe into a tinderbox. In Spain, officials say about 28,000 hectares have burned in the

Madrid region alone, prompting mass evacuations there.

France's president hosted an emergency meeting this morning and is expected to visit the southwestern part of the country, where intense blazes are

creating what are known as fire clouds. French officials say it may take months before the fires are fully extinguished.

Eleni Myrivili is the global chief heat officer at the United Nations Environment Program. Yes, that is a title, and I think we'll discuss why

you, Eleni, are the first in the world to have that title, and perhaps, we should expect more people with it going forward.

You are joining me from Athens in Greece today. I want to play you a powerful soundbite from Spain's Prime Minister earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEDRO SANCHEZ, PRIME MINISTER OF SPAIN (through translator): What we are living is not a succession of isolated events. As has been said before, it

is the most painful expression of a climate emergency that has been making sixth-generation wildfires more vicarious, heat waves more frequent, and as

a result, our territory more vulnerable.

This is no longer an exception. It is the new reality. Summers are becoming. Increasingly difficult, destructive, and therefore deadly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Is he right?

ELENI MYRIVILI, GLOBAL CHIEF HEAT OFFICER, UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. He is absolutely right. We are living

in a new climate reality, and the real story is, if we look at wildfires, even though we are seeing wildfires, the story behind these images is heat.

Heat is drying up our forests and stressing water supplies, damaging crops, pushing energy systems to their limits, and putting millions of people at

risk. So, heat is the force that connects all these crises.

And in Europe, we still think of these extreme heat events as weather events, when we really should be treating them like critical infrastructure

risks. Not just health issues anymore, but whole society challenges that affect all these different critical systems that we depend on, from

transportation to schools to hospitals, and et cetera. Water systems, emergencies are everything, and so, cities have to prepare.

And, I mean --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: So, let's talk about that because you are saying that extreme heat, drought, wildfires often covered as separate stories and dealt with,

with different policies. They are though increasingly becoming part, it seems, of the same climate story.

So, very specifically, what is your advice then to governments and cities as they prepare for the future?

MYRIVILI: Well, the advice is to move from response, from disaster response, to preparedness and resilience. Preparation works. We know that

preparation works. And at UNEP, for example, we have this program which is called Beat the Heat, and under it, 20 of our cities -- we have about 250

cities and a lot of partners under the program.

But 20 of our cities have decided to run a heat emergency simulation based on an example, an exercise that Paris ran a couple of years ago that was

called, Paris at 50 Degrees.

So, it's a rehearsal. Right? It's like, you know, it's a rehearsal of an emergency, and this exercise makes cities ask these difficult questions:

What happens if hospitals are overwhelmed? What happens if power demand spikes, and if schools have to close? And it's really important to discover

the weaknesses in our systems during an exercise than during a real emergency.

And we have cities like from Montalla (PH), Barcelona, to New York and London, to Warsaw, and Gaziantep and Lagos and Kisumu, all trying to work

together with support of UNEP to figure out how to best prepare. And we know what to do, what kind of preparation saves lives and can support our

system.

[10:45:03]

And it's a matter of making sure that we put them into place, and that we don't every time deal with extreme heat or fires or drought or all of

these, even extreme waterfall as isolated events, but we deal with them as the new reality that we live in today.

ANDERSON: How concerned are you about what feels like a real risk of climate crisis and policies associated with that falling off the sort of

priority list. Certainly, over the last couple of years, as we have seen the energy security crisis, this sort of, you know, the re-evaluation of

what we do as far as oil and gas is concerned, and frankly, you know, the story of climate change becoming less fashionable and therefore, less of a

priority, rather than more so, particularly, when we witness what has happened this summer in Europe.

MYRIVILI: Well, I'm hoping that this summer in Europe is a wake-up call. I don't know what will take for us to have a wake-up call, but it seems to me

that heat is the operating system of climate risk. OK, and you are saying that we are moving away from climate. But the fact is that, you know, heat

changes how forests burn, how crops grow, how electricity -- how much electricity we need, what kind of energy we need to invest in, and how, you

know, our cities function to support our economies and our -- and our people.

And we are still functioning. In a reality that is of the -- of the 20th century, and we need to start thinking about the interconnections of these

things.

For example, cooling. Cooling is one of the of -- puts a real demand on our energy systems and our electricity systems together with -- together with

data centers. We have to figure this out. We have to understand how to make sure to -- that we make the right kind of choices and we put in equitable

systems so that people have access to thermal comfort and thermal safety around the world and around the cities that we work in, and live in.

And we need to figure that out. We need to start now asking, are we ready for the summer of 2035, and not the summer of 1995. That is the real

challenge. And --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: Got it. Understood.

MYRIVILI: I think, the energy -- the energy part is a big part of what we will be -- we will be -- we will have to confront, and it will be part --

heat will be a big part of it.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you. I'm sorry that we are talking about this today on a day, which is so worrying across Europe. But it's a good day to

be having this discussion.

MYRIVILI: Yes.

ANDERSON: Just what we see around Europe really underscoring where we are at. Thank you very much indeed.

Ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, tech giants have been pushing forward with wearable A.I. tech. You have all seen it.

But many experts now pushing back, very specifically, over privacy concerns. Going to be more on that after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:39]

ANDERSON: Wearable A.I. tech bringing a future envisioned by tech companies to life. Whether it's a bracelet that records and analyzes conversations or

glasses that instantly identify all you see, this stuff's all around us. Many of us are actually wearing it. But privacy experts are warning about

consent and risk.

Well, CNN's Lisa Eadicicco has tested three A.I. wearable devices over the past few months. She joins us from New York.

As I understand it, you have been trying out Meta's Ray-Ban glasses, Amazon's Bee Pioneer wristband, and Plaud's NotePin S.

So, what was your experience using these devices, Lisa?

LISA EADICICCO, CNN BUSINESS TECH EDITOR: Yes, Becky. So, it was kind of mixed. There are some ways these devices can be useful. For example, I wore

the Meta Ray-Bands on vacation and was able to ask questions about the landmarks. I was seeing around me without having to take out my phone and

Google it. For example, other devices like the Bee Pioneer and the Plaud NotePin S are really meant to kind of listen to your conversations and

provide like helpful advice or summaries of that conversation, or, you know, help organize your to do list based on what you have talked about.

And so, you can understand how that could be helpful. But I do have to say that I feel like there are some really significant limitations that could

impact how widely these devices are adopted.

For one, I think the idea, especially when you're talking about something like the Bee Pioneer and the Plaud NotePin, we are just not used to wearing

these devices. People are not used to the idea of being recorded. So, I do think there is some kind of social barrier that needs to be overcome.

I've worn these devices both in work meetings and with friends, and, you know, with consent, I have asked if I can record our conversation. And it's

just something that feels a little bit strange to do at this point in time and I'm not entirely convinced yet that the usefulness could help overcome

that as well.

And then, with the glasses, you know, there have been privacy concerns raised about smart glasses in general, and I also do feel like that idea of

looking at something and being able to get information about it in real time that needs to be really compelling, because I think that's the main

reason why people -- why these companies have -- that's a real selling point for smart glasses, because a lot of the other things that smart

glasses can do like play music, connect to an AI assistant, things like that, you can already do that with earbuds. Right?

So, I think, that those are kind of the big limitations that I've run into so far, based on my experience.

ANDERSON: Yes, it's fascinating. Yes, and we'll have to consider these issues as more and more of us, of course, are inclined to wear this stuff.

Thank you.

Well, you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. There is a lot more news ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:55:08]

ANDERSON: Well, Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar has joined cycling's greatest champions after winning a record. equaling fifth Tour de France title. He

dominated the three-week race with five stage wins before cruising across the finish line in Paris. There he is.

This is his third straight Tour de France victory. Only four other riders have won the Tour five times. And in a news conference afterwards, he said

he is still deciding if he'll race in next month's Vuelta a Espana. For now, he just wants to let the victory sink in, and I would expect sink his

muscles into a warm bath at this point.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TADEJ POGACAR, CHAMPION, 2026 TOUR DE FRANCE: Right now, I just want to enjoy the moment of winning the tour. If it's fifth or the first, doesn't

matter. It's unbelievable to wear the yellow jersey and cross the line in Paris, winning it. So, I will just enjoy the moment, not thinking about any

history, about any clubbing or whatever. I just want to live this moment and yes, come back home and relax and enjoy small things of life -- in life

as well.

So, yes, I'm really happy and proud to win the fifth tour.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: And congratulations to him. That is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson in London for you this week. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD", up

next. See you same time, same place tomorrow.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END