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Connect the World

Jordan's Military Says It Intercepted Five Missiles from Iran; Iran Rejects Oman's 50-50 Shipping Plan for Strait of Hormuz; Oil Futures Up Sharply as Traders React to Middle East Events; Rescue Efforts Ongoing After 6.8 Magnitude Japan Earthquake; Fauci Invokes Fifth Amendment in Fresh Showdown with Paul. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired July 29, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, the U.S. intercepts a surprise Iranian missile attack in Jordan. So, where does that leave

diplomatic efforts to end this conflict? It is 09:00 a.m. in Washington, 02:00 p.m. here in London. I'm Becky Anderson.

You're watching "Connect the World". Also coming up, a scorching heat wave threatens to worsen devastating fires as France and Spain continue to

battle the blazes. And a desperate search for survivors after that deadly earthquake hit Japan. We'll have an update on what is the ongoing operation

there.

Well, the stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from now, and you can see a mix to weaker open there as oil prices climb once again. And

today, investors waiting on the Fed's decision on interest rates just a few hours from now. More on that as we get it, of course.

We start with the Middle East on edge again after what the U.S. military is calling a surprise attack on its forces in the region. Iran's Revelatory

Guard Corps says it launched ballistic missiles at U.S. military facilities in Jordan. U.S. President Donald Trump giving an expletive laden response

to the attack on Fox News a short time ago.

You can see what he said here on your screen, vowing that the U.S. will hit Iran hard. Well, Jordan's military says it shot down five missiles launched

from Iran. U.S. Central Command did not provide details of locations targeted, but says all missiles were successfully intercepted.

Well, this happening as the U.S. and Saudi Arabia attack Iran-aligned militia in Iraq. More on that in a few minutes. First, I want to get you to

Washington. Zach Cohen standing by with more, Zach, on the Iranian attack. I've got Eleni standing by in Dubai with a look at what's happening with

oil today and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

But Zach, let's start with you. We've learned that, Donald Trump. Well, you just told Fox News moments ago we're going to be hitting them hard. They're

going to take a beating. What are you hearing there, and what do we understand to be the latest U.S. military moves at this point?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, Becky, just remember a few days ago, President Donald Trump and the Trump Administration saying

that they were going to pause temporarily U.S. combat operations in an effort to give diplomacy some space as negotiators and mediators continue

to try to bring these two countries to the table.

But we're now at this point where Iran, unprompted, launching this new ballistic missile attack targeting what we believe to be a U.S. airbase in

Jordan, and doing so on its own terms. That seems to suggest a shift in tactic by Iran compared to what we've seen over the last five months.

And it comes one day after our colleagues here at CNN were told that Iran has not sought negotiations with the United States over the last two weeks,

which obviously runs counter to what we've heard from President Donald Trump recently. He says that Iran is dying to make a deal.

Obviously, this attack has changed at least the president's viewpoint of where this conflict stands at the moment, as you mentioned, he's telling

Fox News that the U.S. intends to hit Iran very hard tonight. We'll have to see what that looks like in practice. We've obviously seen recent back and

forth between the U.S. and Iran that's largely been concentrated around the Strait of Hormuz.

And that obviously that area, that key waterway remains the critical, most urgent action item for the United States that's still trying to convince

the shipping industry that it's safe to transit that waterway, making it effectively closed at the moment. So, we'll have to see.

It also comes as last night the U.S. and Saudi Arabia launching a rare joint air strike against Iranian militias in Iraq. And this is interesting

because Saudi Arabia spent five months actively trying to avoid being dragged into this conflict, but joining up with the U.S. forces to conduct

these precision strikes, according to U.S. Central Command, in Iraqi territory.

Which again, it's -- that's the fear of U.S. officials and regional partners, as that we've heard from the entire -- for the entirety of this

conflict is that there is a concern that this conflict could expand and escalate within the region, and we're sort of seeing signs of that

possibility play out in real time.

ANDERSON: Let me bring you in, Eleni. Thank you, Zach, because the oil markets are reacting to these latest developments.

[09:05:00]

We've, you know, frankly faces sort of whiplash over the last near six months now, but these very specific moves, in response to what we've seen

overnight, and indeed to comments by Donald Trump on Fox. Just tell us more what we're seeing here.

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, as we've come to know since the start of the war, that when it comes to the oil price, all roads lead

to what President Trump says or doesn't say, and of course, it is about the Strait of Hormuz. Seeing Brent crude sitting at that key threshold of

almost $90 a barrel, WTI also up almost 7 percent.

It is after those comments where President Trump says he's going to give Iran a beating. He used epithets to show just how tough a stance he's

taking on this. After what Zach had mentioned, those surprise attacks specifically into Jordan targeting U.S. assets, and we've seen a widening

of the war.

We see what Saudi Arabia and U.S. CENTCOM had embarked on in terms of joint operation in eastern Iraq. All of these factors really playing a big role

because it all leads to Strait of Hormuz where we see a trickle of vessels passing through. Kpler data shows that 12 vessels transited yesterday, 10

of which use the northern route.

So, vessels and ship owners are not opting for the Omani-U.S. controlled route. When I look at what's happening in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, where

the Houthis that are backed by Iran have started a blockade since the 20th of July, importantly, you have traffic down around 22 percent and

specifically targeting Saudi vessels.

There's also a huge risk there in terms of restricting oil supply. Now there is a work around Saudi Arabia and some vessels are opting to use the

Suez Canal going up through the Red Sea, even though they can't really handle VLCCs. They can't load as much oil.

What is interesting is that some Saudi oil is now using the Sumed Pipeline, the Suez Sumed pipeline, and basically loading up its city carrier on

Egypt's Mediterranean. It cannot replace all the oil that passes through Bab al-Mandab, but it is sort of another release valve.

But when you see prices like this, when you see Brent crude rising, and you've got this escalatory language from President Trump after a

significant pause in terms of fighting in Iran, there is concern of escalation, and of course the effect is going to be on oil, keeping in mind

everyone's focusing on inflation.

You've got that Fed decision later on. That all weighing on the bigger picture, Becky, in terms of what the U.S. is going to do.

ANDERSON: Good to have you both. Thank you very much indeed. All right. Well, you've heard Eleni there and Zach mentioning just a few minutes ago,

a new player has entered the conflict in this region. Saudi Arabia has joined U.S. forces, striking Iran-linked proxies in Iraq.

A militia group known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF, says deadly air strikes hit its key sites in northern Iraq overnight. In

response to the strikes, a source says the Iraqi Prime Minister is delaying a planned trip to Saudi Arabia and holding an emergency national security

meeting.

Well, I'm joined now by Renad Mansour, who's the Director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House. Look, Saudi Arabia has spent months, at least,

you know, on the surface, it seems trying not to get dragged into this conflict. But in the last week, the kingdoms faced missile attacks from

these Iraq-based, Iranian-backed groups and by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

What do you make of what we are seeing, very specifically, on Iraq at this point?

RENAD MANSOUR, DIRECTOR OF THE IRAQ INITIATIVE AT CHATHAM HOUSE: I think the reality is creeping in to Saudi Arabia and eventually to the rest of

the Gulf that this war is nowhere near over. That negotiations could lead to pauses, but this is a longer-term war of attrition, and it's designed

specifically to become a regional war.

Iran is operating with several different militias in Iraq, and it's looking to use Iraq as a launching pad to draw in this regional war. This is part

of Iran's response to the U.S. and Israeli attacks. So, from you know, the Saudi Arabia's perspective, this is not the first time that these you know

attacks have come against Saudi Arabia from Iraq.

But this is, I think, where the line is being drawn. There's a new realization that the old status quo is no longer available, and that there

needs to be you know more agency coming from Saudi Arabia and from the Gulf, they need to act as well.

ANDERSON: So, there's a clear fear that this conflict could now be broadening. I just wonder how risky it is for Saudi Arabia's military to be

involved.

[09:10:00]

What's the thinking there in Riyadh as you understand it?

MANSOUR: Yeah, and Saudi Arabia has been, you know, reluctant to spiral into -- to spiral this into a regional war. Saudi Arabia, along with many

of the Gulf countries, have sort of wanted to push for the diplomatic route. They've even wanted to enhance the relationship between the U.S. and

Iran.

They've been long before this war trying to improve that relationship between Washington and Tehran. I think the reality, though, as I say, is

it's creeping in that real its options are increasingly seeming to be limited. That this is a war that will drag on for a very long time, many,

many months, if not years.

And that Saudi Arabia can't sit there and you know be attacked without also defending itself. And of course, in these operations working with the U.S.

going after some of these groups in Iraq. And of course, this will further destabilize the region. Iraq's government was you know, the prime minister,

the new prime minister was just in the Oval Office meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

He was then in Turkey meeting with the President Erdogan, and he was on his way to meet the leadership in Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, and he's had to

postpone that trip. So, the Iraqi government, is trying to stay out of this, Saudi Arabia has been trying to stay out of this, but I think the

reality is that this is a war that will drag most of these countries in.

ANDERSON: Let's be quite clear, this is a New Iraqi Prime Minister supported by the Trump Administration. As long as he can stick to the plan,

which is to rein in these Iran-backed militia in Iraq. Those were discussions that were had in Washington, as you rightly say, just a couple

of weeks ago when that new prime minister was there talking business and economics and what's going to happen next as far as the Iraqi economy is

concerned.

But he is sort of beholden to this promise to sort out these Iran-backed militia. So, are you surprised to a degree by the timing of this action by

those same groups? After all, Riyadh will want those groups sort of neutralized, as do the United States at this point in his country?

MANSOUR: As does the Iraqi Prime Minister, I don't think that you know these are just words that that he's saying. You know he wants to restore

Iraq's sovereignty. He wants to be ultimately the Commander in Chief, which formally his responsibility, his role is, but there's a hard reality for

him.

He is not a powerful figure. He is at the behest of the Iraqi state, which is so fragmented and in which many of these armed groups can operate freely

with impunity and work closely with Iran. So, he wants this, and he might even want to work with the U.S. at times for this.

The question is whether he will be willing to destabilize Iraq because that's what this will do. Whether he will be willing to fight these groups

along with the U.S. along with Saudi Arabia, but risk having a war inside Iraq. These groups have shown in the past that they are willing to attack

the Iraqi government.

They've killed an Iraqi intelligence officer accused by the U.S. government -- the Iraqi officials accused them of killing one of their intelligence

officers recently, a few months ago. So, this is very real for him. It's a very real decision. Is he willing to put his political and most likely

physical security on the line to fight this war, or will he try and stick to the rhetoric of disarming these militias when knowing that really, he

won't?

ANDERSON: It's good to have you, sir. Always a pleasure. Your analysis and insight incredibly important to us. It is a really worrying day in region.

Thank you. Well, we're getting a clearer picture of the destruction caused in southern Japan by Tuesday's 6.8 magnitude earthquake.

At least three people died when a shopping mall partially collapsed. Five more are reported to have been killed as the quake knocked down part of a

paper factory. My colleague CNN's Kristie Lu Stout has more.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the mood at the moment, as you can imagine, is quite somber. With the survivors of the earthquake

anticipating more aftershocks to come, they're hearing about the risk of landslides, and of course, temperatures are very hot right now there in

southern Japan, which is affecting not only them but also the urgent rescue work that is underway.

The race is on to find survivors, especially there in the shopping center that partially collapsed in an explosion after that massive 6.8 magnitude

earthquake struck southern Japan on Tuesday. This is an earthquake that has taken the lives of at least 13 people, dozens of people reported to be

injured, tens of thousands of homes are without power and electricity right now.

[09:15:00]

At least 300,000 individuals have been sent to evacuation centers. And you're looking at live pictures there of one scene we've been looking at,

watching very closely. There are rescue efforts underway at this shopping center, and these are truly apocalyptic scenes of what happened after the

earthquake, an explosion ripped through, exposing just steel beams there, sending debris absolutely everywhere.

And we also have, in addition to the aerial footage of this shopping center, which is a massive shopping complex, some 200 stores are there. We

also have dashcam video that will show you the moment of the explosion, and according to one eyewitness, they said that the explosion was deafening.

Officials are looking into an investigation. It is believed because they sensed gas and the smell of gas was present. It is believed that a gas leak

is to blame. That needs to be confirmed, though. Also, it's not clear how many people remain trapped in the rubble.

Now we are also monitoring the rescue effort at a nearby paper factory, where there was a massive sort of industrial-sized chimney fell down.

Extensive damages there. Several people unaccounted for. Rescue efforts ongoing. It was not that long ago in 2016 when this southern prefecture of

Kumamoto had a devastating earthquake that took the lives of hundreds of people.

Of course, this prefecture, in addition to the prefecture, Japan lies in the Ring of Fire, the sort of U-shaped zone in the Pacific Rim of these

volcanoes, of these ocean trenches that is susceptible to this type of earthquake activity. So much so that around 20 percent of the earthquakes

that are magnitude 6.0 or higher take place in Japan.

This is -- community that's no stranger to devastating tremors like this.

ANDERSON: Well, coming up, we're going to find out why experts are comparing wildfires in Europe to atomic bombs. That is after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Let's have ravaged Spain and France for days now. I'm sure you are well aware. With one expert now likening the intensity of the flames to

several atomic bombs in France's Gironde region overnight. Crews still trying to contain blazes. Local officials say fires have they been

stabilized this morning.

Spanish officials say the fires are less intense, thinking and thanking favorable weather and emergency workers. A third of evacuees got the green

light to actually go home. Yet, both countries warn soaring heat could spark further trouble. CNN's Pau Mosquera is near Madrid. He's joining me

now live.

[09:20:00]

You and I spoke at this point yesterday, and the scenes behind you were pretty apocalyptic there, what do you -- where are you today, and what are

you seeing?

PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what I have here behind me, Becky, is San Juan Reservoir. This is a 14-kilometer artificial lake that, over

the last few days, has been used by the emergency workers as to take some water and use it on the wildfires. We have constantly seen helicopters

getting close to here, collecting water and dropping on the active fire fronts.

But this wildfire, the one raging western Madrid, was so fierce that even reached this area. As you can see here on your screen, over there, for

example, you can see the image of those kayaks and boats completely reduce to rubble. Even from this short distance, you can get, Becky, a very strong

smell of burnt plastic.

And even some of those kayaks are stuck together because of the extremely high temperatures of the flames. Even you can see the facilities here

around the pier are absolutely reduced to ashes, demonstrating how powerful were those flames. Now, despite this situation that we're showing you,

Becky, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska just said that two of the wildfires that were worrying them the most are now technically stabilized.

But the firefighters will need to continue working in the areas as to really take a 100 percent control of the flames. And this is a race against

the clock because the weather conditions keep changing during the day, and as the wind changes, this means that also the flames could get into other

directions, Becky.

ANDERSON: So, Pau, what are conditions looking like for the next few days at this point?

MOSQUERA: Well, it seems that we're going to face extremely hot temperatures because this Wednesday has arrived to the European Peninsula,

the fourth heat wave of the summer, which means that temperatures are again climbing to the impossible.

Right now, we are at 37 degrees Celsius, which is around 99 degrees Fahrenheit, but it's going to be worst over the next few days and until

Sunday. And well, this poses a threat for the wildfires, meaning that it can be more difficult to try to extinguish them, or even that could be a

risk for new fires to ignite.

This is why the authorities are sharing a message to the population to be very careful during these days and not to get any kind of material that

could easily ignite in areas of forest, like for example this one around this artificial lake, Becky.

ANDERSON: Understood, understood. Good to have you there. And Pau is near Madrid in Spain. Thank you, Pau. Well, millions of people across the

northeastern U.S. are under flood watch. The life-threatening summer storm hit the region Tuesday. More heavy downpours are expected.

Tuesday's weather already prompted multiple rescue missions and hundreds of canceled flights in New Jersey and in Pennsylvania. The serious flash flood

threat spreads into New England later today. Well, Dr. Anthony Fauci is pleading the fifth on Capitol Hill to avoid questions on the COVID-19

pandemic in the latest chapter of what is his long running feud with Senator Rand Paul.

Well, as he faced the U.S. government's response to infectious diseases. Fauci has appeared on the Hill roughly 250 times, but today's appearance is

the result of a subpoena from Senator Paul, who blames the former adviser, President Trump and Biden, for the shortcomings of the government's

response to COVID-19.

Senate Republicans are armed with thousands of Fauci's personal diary entries. And we are monitoring all of this. I'm going to get you updates as

they come into us. Well, coming up, a warning from the CEO of Meta. He's talking about who gets to use AI, artificial intelligence, and who controls

access to it. That is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:25:00]

ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching "Connect the World". I'm Becky Anderson in London for you. These are your headlines this hour. And U.S.

President Donald Trump vowing to hit Iran hard after what the U.S. military says was a surprise attack on its forces in the region.

Iran's Revolutionary Gulf Course says it targeted U.S. military facilities in Jordan. Jordan's military says it shot down five missiles launched from

Iran. And U.S. Central Command says its forces successfully intercepted all missiles fired. Well, at least eight people have died in southern Japan

following Tuesday's powerful 6.8 magnitude quake then.

Three people were killed when a shopping mall partially collapsed. Five more died at a paper factory, according to NHK. Well, temperatures in

France are soaring as emergency crews try to contain blazes near Bordeaux. While a huge fire in the Gironde region was reported to be stable this

morning.

Wildfires there still do remain a threat, and officials are warning people about the risks from toxic fumes, urging them to wear masks. Well, CNN's

Melissa Bell has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Closer and closer to Bordeaux, the Gironde fire has spread, as daunting by its

size now as it is by its ferocity. Here on the fire's southeastern front, the fight continued on Monday to try to rein it in.

Dash water bombers sweeping in from the sky to try and douse the flames that the fire trucks couldn't reach. Nearby, at the local summer hot spot

that is the Bassin d'Arcachon, pleasure boats have given way to Black Hawk helicopters brought in from the Czech Republic, just some of the resources

provided by European allies.

COMMANDER MATHIEU JOMAIN, GIRONDE FIREFIGHTERS: Given the scale, the response can only now be European and even international in the face of

climate change and its consequences. Amongst them, major forest fires like these.

BELL: This is the Cap-Ferret Peninsula. Its population grows in the summer tenfold, which means that when it was evacuated on Friday, 40,000 people

had to flee along the single road that leads back to the mainland, leaving behind this eerily quiet holiday paradise and a huge economic shortfall.

BELL (voice-over): The peninsula's camping grounds now remind us of how quickly the fire brought a sudden end to so many summer holidays. Melissa

Bell, CNN, the Cap-Ferret.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Isn't it absolutely remarkable? Well, the AI future is for everyone. Those are the words of Mark Zuckerberg in an article for the Wall

Street Journal today, the CEO of Meta writes that what he calls super intelligence cannot be entrusted to a small number of experts.

And warns that centralization gives too much power to institutions and restricts human potential. Instead, he makes a case for bringing the

possibilities of AI to more people, saying it can boost innovation and empower us all. So, why is the Meta CEO weighing in at this point?

Well CNN Tech reporter Clare Duffy covering this from New York and joins us now live.

[09:30:00]

And we will hear the dinging of the bell on Wall Street momentarily. All eyes are on these Big Tech companies, not least Meta, this week as we get

some significant reporting. What's prompted this message do you believe from Zuckerberg at this point?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Well, Becky, I think this is targeted at potentially a couple of different audiences. One of them certainly is

Meta's investors. The company is reporting earnings tonight, as you mentioned, stock is down around 8 percent since the start of this year.

As investors ask tough questions about all of the money that Meta is spending on AI infrastructure and when it will start to see a return. So,

Meta wanting to put out a positive message about this technology, but also, I think to the public that have asked tough questions about what this

technology is going to mean for them raising concerns about jobs, about cybersecurity.

Recently, Meta was targeted with backlash to its recent Meta Glasses release, with some critics calling them a surveillance device. And so, Meta

wanting to talk about the upside of this technology. In this op-ed, Mark Zuckerberg writes, quote, humanity has witnessed many transformative

advances each time there is fear that people will be left behind.

But each time humanity has come out with more people sharing greater prosperity, health, and freedom. We believe this will be true with AI as

well, and the abundance of the future can be shared by everyone. This op-ed followed an ad that Meta put out, also painting a rosy picture of the AI

future. Watch that just for a moment here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some people will have you believe AI will make us less connected, that it's going to leave us behind. We couldn't disagree more.

Call us optimists. Call us dreamers. Just as we've always done, we're betting on people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DUFFY: I also think that Meta is responding here to some of the other leaders in the tech industry that have raised big concerns about this AI

technology, in particular Anthropic and OpenAI, which have started to advocate for restricting access to the most advanced AI models to hedge

against risks.

Mark Zuckerberg here, advocating for open access to this technology for everyone, Becky.

ANDERSON: So, I guess that begs the question, how, practically speaking, how possible is that? I mean, how do or could tech companies implement what

Zuckerberg is proposing to make AI accessible for everyone.

DUFFY: Yeah, it's a really interesting question because Zuckerberg here in this op-ed, really painting this as a necessity to make sure that humanity

can benefit from this technology. He writes, if only a handful of institutions have super intelligence, we will inevitably exercise a -- they

will inevitably exercise a controlling influence over economics, science, and politics.

Even with the best intentions, that concentration would limit people's ability to choose their own future. So, certainly advocating here for open

access to this technology rather than some of the restrictions like Anthropic has put in place with its Mythos model, restricting access to

only a select number of companies.

But it's really interesting timing because Meta also this year released its first closed source AI model, which has restrictions on how people can use

that technology and reversed a significant commitment that Meta had previously to open-source AI technology. So, on one hand, Meta is saying we

need to have open access.

On the other hand, they have started to roll out closed source AI models. So, going to be interesting to see how this company sort of threads that

line as it goes forward, Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Clare. Always a pleasure. Thank you. Well, the Trump Administration banning new imports of Chinese-made humanoid and four-

legged robots, saying they are a threat to national security. Officials say internet-connected robots could pose risks to data privacy and may even

threaten critical American infrastructure.

The U.S. is also banning imports of certain power converters used to connect renewable energy equipment to the electricity grid. China accusing

the U.S. of protectionism and of masking an attack on Chinese companies behind an invented security threat. This is the world we live in, in 2026.

Well, brand new CNN poll numbers are painting a pretty grim picture for U.S. President Donald Trump. Nearly three in four Americans say that the

president has not paid enough attention to the country's most important problems, with just 27 percent saying he has his priorities right.

And his approval rating has slipped to just 34 percent matching the lowest point of his political career. David Chalian is the CNN Bureau Chief in

Washington. He joins us now to break down some of these numbers. David, the last time President Trump's approval rating was this low was following the

January 6th insurrection.

What do you believe are the biggest takeaways from these latest numbers?

[09:35:00]

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN SENIOR VP & WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: Well, these are the kinds of records no president wants to be setting, and these are record-

breaking numbers for Donald Trump on the low end, Becky, as you noted, I would note in that overall job approval, you said 34 percent.

That's a record low. But even inside, when you look at his approval rating among his fellow Republicans, that now stands at 78 percent approval. That

is a numeric low for Donald Trump among his fellow partisans. I would also just note that what you said at the top about three quarters of Americans

saying he's on the wrong priorities presents an enormous problem for him and for his party in these midterm elections.

Take a look here, at when we asked people about that 73 percent nearly three in four Americans said he is focused on the wrong priorities. Things

such as those vanity projects, his constantly, you know, construction projects, building an arch or the ballroom at the White House.

That is not sitting well with the American public. All at a time when the economy and the Iran war are front and center, and his performance on those

issues are abysmal. Look at the list here. His approval rating on Iran inflation and gas prices, the bottom three listed there-he doesn't crack 30

percent approval on those major issues driving the day, Becky.

ANDERSON: How is President Trump doing, David, when it comes to the major issues impacting Americans at this point?

CHALIAN: Yeah, I mean, you saw that list there. I would say economy is issue number one. He's at 30 percent approval. I think the thing to note

there is that his number on the economy is even lower than his overall job approval. So that means that even some Americans who say, OK, I'm a

Republican, I'm on board with Donald Trump, you know, I approve of the job he's doing.

But when asked specifically about his handling on the economy, even some of those folks' drift away. That's the problem heading into the fall here,

with no sign of abatement in the war, no real sign that prices are coming down significantly for Americans. And we are now just 97 days away from the

votes being tallied in these consequential midterm elections, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yeah, and you mentioned the polling on the Iran war, a story we cover often, daily, of course, here on "Connect the World".

CHALIAN: Yeah.

ANDERSON: Our normal base is Abu Dhabi and the Gulf. Trump losing ground on an issue that was never going to be a strong point for him, but his

approval rating significantly lower on this. How much might political considerations now affect his military decisions? Given the -- you know

we're just 90 odd days away from these midterms, David.

CHALIAN: I mean, just a few days ago, Becky, when he had the option in front of him to sort of re-escalate and relaunch a full-scale war, he chose

not to do that. I think it's fair to say, while some of his advisers say it won't be -- it won't get to the eventual goal here. There are better ways

to get Iran to do what the United States would like it to do here.

We'll see about that. There's no doubt that political considerations played into that too, because the American people have said time and again in

polling since the war started, and certainly since the ceasefire for the memo of understanding first took place, they do not want to see a return to

full-blown hostilities.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, sir. Always a pleasure.

CHALIAN: You too. Take care. Thanks.

ANDERSON: David Chalian in the house for you, folks. Well, FIFA banked a record income of about $12 billion from the recent World Cup. Yet,

President Gianni Infantino wants to monetize that even more. The details are up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:00]

ANDERSON: Is the World Cup for sale? Well, FIFA apparently looking for new investors, which is sparking some very important questions. Questions that

people are not happy about, frankly. Andy Scholes joining me now. Andy, what's going on here? What do you understand to be the issue?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, OK, so Becky, so yeah, like you said, FIFA is trying to further monetize the World Cup. You know,

they're coming off arguably the most successful World Cup ever, where they made loads of money. Well, they're trying to raise 4.2 billion dollars on a

20-billion-dollar valuation for this new entity they're calling the FIFA Forward Enterprise.

All right, and Becky, do you remember all the uproar over the Super League and how people got so mad about that? Well, that's kind of what's happening

here. UEFA, you know, European -- Europe's soccer governing body. They're very upset about this. They say soccer or football.

I'm sorry, American saying soccer. Football is not for sale. They don't understand this. They're very against it. It's a little confusing, but

basically, it's the World Cup trying to create a whole new entity, or FIFA trying to create a whole new World Cup entity to sell commercial rights for

the World Cup.

We're going to break all this down for you on World Cup. We got a great guest who you know tells us all the angles for this. But again, Becky, a

lot of people not happy about it, and it kind of gives you that Super League vibes of people are really going to stand up and try to fight this.

ANDERSON: Yeah, you know, it's fascinating, isn't it? And I will be glued to "World Sport" for that conversation. It's a really important point.

That's coming up after this. I'm back with more "Connect the World" after Andy is done with the "World Sport".

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