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U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Poland Blames Russia for Missile Fired into Its Territory; France and Spain Fires Cause Evacuation of 300,000 People; Europe Must Prepare for Extreme Weather; UEFA Holds Emergency Meeting on Controversial FIFA Proposal; Iran War Diplomacy Stalls at Critical Moment; New York Mayor Announces Discounts for City-Run Groceries; Dr. Gupta on AI versus "Dr. Google"; BTS Skipping 2027 Grammys. Aired 10- 11a ET
Aired July 30, 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]
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to the second hour of the show. I'm Becky Anderson in London with CONNECT THE WORLD, where the time
is just after 3 pm.
The U.S.-Iran conflict widening as Egypt is targeted for the first time. A drone strike damaging ships at a port on the Mediterranean.
War threatening to escalate in Europe, too. Poland says a Russian missile landed deep inside its territory, causing NATO to scramble military
aircraft.
And wildfires impacting more and more people across Europe. Firefighters racing to contain a blaze in southeast England, even as warnings are issued
in Italy and in Greece. More with a live report and the latest from the French city of Bordeaux.
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ANDERSON: Well, we start with the expanding war in the Middle East, the U.S. launching what it calls a heavy wave of strikes on Iran after
president Donald Trump vowed to respond to, quote, "surprise" Iranian attacks the day before.
U.S. Central Command says its forces hit Revolutionary Guard military command centers and drone facilities. These are CENTCOM pictures that you
are seeing on your screens now.
Well, Iran responding with reported attacks in Jordan and Kuwait. And officials in Egypt say a drone strike there caused damage at a
Mediterranean port. There's been no claim of responsibility so far for that attack. It's the first since this war began on infrastructure in Egypt.
Also today, Iran vowing that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed, citing what it calls continuing U.S. threats and interference with shipping
in the region. Right.
Ali Vaez is the deputy program director for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group. He joins me today from Geneva.
Busy times, a lot to discuss. I want to start with Egypt being hit for the first time, a country that has tried to walk a fine line between the
warring parties, given it is one of the key mediators and has a relationship with Iran, which is relatively new and had been relatively
robust of late.
What does it tell you about having been targeted?
What does it tell you about the list of countries being pulled into this conflict, apparently growing by the day?
ALI VAEZ, DEPUTY PROGRAM DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: It's great to see you, Becky.
Look, you're absolutely right. Egypt has played a very constructive role behind the scenes, mostly trying to mediate between Iran and the United
States and coming up with solutions to bridge the gaps between them.
But now it's targeted. This is because a huge part of Iran's calculus in terms of the staying power in this conflict is to increase energy prices in
a way that it is the United States that would blink first.
And, we, of course, have seen that Iran has shut down the Strait of Hormuz again. But there is now a very important alternative route through the Red
Sea, whether it's Bab-el-Mandeb that has now been disrupted by the Houthis in Yemen.
And now this attack very close to the to the Suez, basically indicating to the energy sector that generally energy flows out of the Red Sea will be
disrupted if this conflict continues.
ANDERSON: Is this Tehran running out of faith in Trump's willingness to negotiate at this point, as some have suggested?
Or is this Tehran, knowing that the U.S. is very likely to want to get this done and dusted as quickly as possible, believing it is, you know, coming
at any talks in the future from a greater sense, a greater position of strength?
VAEZ: Becky, I have heard from both sides, both Iranian and U.S. officials, saying that the other side is impossible to negotiate with.
And, of course, they both have a long list of evidence. On the Iranian side, it's not just their own, rather sorry experiences with the U.S. and
especially with the Trump administration.
But it is also the fact that president Trump walked back a nuclear agreement with a U.S. ally, Saudi Arabia, in less than 24 hours.
[10:05:04]
And that was big confirmation to the Iranians that this administration is just an unreliable negotiating partner. And, of course, president Trump has
the exact same impression about the Iranians.
So there's a lot of mirror imaging there.
ANDERSON: Right.
VAEZ: But at the end of the day, again, I think they have no solution other than returning to the negotiating table and talking to one another.
ANDERSON: And Pakistan has said today it is doing its utmost to revive diplomacy. And we'll have to just wait to see whether there is a diplomatic
off-ramp here.
Meantime, I do just want to consider Iran's political outlook with you as Reza Pahlavi has been making the media rounds. He did a lengthy interview
with Reuters. And you were quoted in that piece saying it was and is still clear that he, Reza Pahlavi, doesn't have what it takes to be a leader.
Now this seems to have been the conclusion also made by the Trump administration.
Do you concur with that sense?
And where does this leave the Iranian opposition, which is not monolithic, of course.
And what do you believe is driving this support of Pahlavi among so much of the Iranian diaspora?
VAEZ: Well, like a lot of other exiled communities -- and it's not unique to the Iranians. You can also see it in the case of Cuba, for instance.
They, the exile communities live in a bubble of their own and they're disconnected from the realities on the ground, especially in a closed
society like Iran.
I think one of the things that this war clearly demonstrated to many Iranians inside the country is that the solution for Iran's transition to a
more pluralistic system is not going to come from abroad.
Whether it's military intervention or the exiled opposition, which spends more time fighting one another than actually trying to liberate the Iranian
people. So it's for that reason that I think, if there is going to be any kind of positive change, it will come from inside Iran and not from the
outside.
ANDERSON: Gotcha. All right. Well, it's good to have you, important to get your insight and analysis on what is another, you know, really, really
worrying 24 hours. Thank you.
Well, at least eight people have been killed in Ukraine after major Russian strikes across the country. Several areas targeted in last night's barrage,
including the capital. While rescuers have been working to free civilians trapped in the rubble, authorities in Poland weighing in.
Prime minister Donald Tusk says an apparent Russian missile landed deep into Polish territory, calling it an airspace violation. Look, I want to
bring in CNN's chief international security correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh, been in and out of Ukraine over the past couple of years and around
the environs of Europe.
Let's start on Poland. Break down the significance of this breach of its territory.
And to your mind, Nick, what could happen next?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I mean, ultimately, the confusion here about whether this was an intentional
Russian incursion into NATO territory is kind of the point.
We simply will never be able to divine if this was one of potentially dozens of missiles fired during an attack on Ukraine across the country and
its west as well, that went off course. It went significantly off course. Becky, 90 kilometers.
That means somebody in Moscow most likely was watching this missile on a radar for many minutes as it went deeper and deeper into Poland. Indeed,
Poland had F-16s dispatched, potentially able to take this down until it seemed to have gone off radar and crashed.
Nothing like this has happened before. Yes, it hit an empty field. You may argue that is an exceptionally useful coincidence. You may also argue,
potentially, that it was launched hours after, nearby in that same region of Poland, the prime minister, Donald Tusk of Poland and Ukraine's
president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, actually met.
A lot here happening that raises suspicions. This may not simply have been a missile misdirected, caught in jamming, potentially off course. Remember,
two Western officials have been concerned for some time about Russia potentially escalating back because of Ukraine's increasingly successful
long range strikes against it.
It really isn't clear what this is. That's potentially the point. And I think longer-term observers of Russia will note this as something the
Kremlin has done in the past; try something, see what the reaction potentially might be from NATO or Western militaries.
And then wonder how much further you can push their tolerance next time around you try it. But still, it leaves the quandary for those in NATO
looking to how they might respond to have divined whether this was even a deliberate situation engineered by Moscow or an error. That's the key
point.
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Also, prime minister Donald Tusk saying there's no evidence at this point that Poland was the target. So at the same time, trying to play it down but
also suggest that NATO is ready to respond if indeed this were to happen again, Becky.
ANDERSON: Meantime, last night's barrage in Ukraine deadly; at least eight people killed, many trapped in rubble. There are some gutting stories
coming out of the country and some video, which is just heartbreaking. I mean, you can just see the pain on people's faces. They clearly, you know,
lost either homes or family members.
What do -- what more do we know at this point?
WALSH: Yes, I mean, just a reminder, the broader picture here. July, the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since April 2022, pretty much the
beginning of the invasion there. Two months in, 427 Ukrainian civilians killed. That's a startling figure.
And today's story, particularly of one family, the Voronov family living in the Dnipro region, their house hit by an Iskander Russian missile, 10
people inside at that time, the remains of four being searched for four children amongst the dead.
Here, a startling, singular moment. But this is a scene that's playing out across Ukraine. And we've noted in the past weeks that there's been more
missiles fired by Russia.
It appears that they're looking for these larger attacks, often telegraphed by Kyiv in the hours ahead of them happening to launch ballistic and cruise
missiles to overwhelm Ukraine's defenses.
Last night, they launched 280 drones, Russia, 260 of which were intercepted, something president Zelenskyy talked about being a remarkable
feat, given the radical shortage of interceptor, Patriot interceptors, essentially, that take down the ballistic missiles.
The missiles, indeed, that got through, as those missiles that are the threat, a reminder, too, we're dealing with Poland as well, whose
authorities came under pressure internally for giving some of their Patriots up to Ukraine to assist Ukraine.
Ukraine, I think, integral, you might argue now, with that threat to Poland, to European security but desperately in need of these Patriot
interceptors. Donald Trump said in a meeting on the outskirts of Ankara, a NATO summit there, that he would give licenses to Ukraine to build their
own.
That hasn't resulted, it seems, in a practical step forward yet. And that was top of the agenda in the meeting two days ago between Zelenskyy and
Trump in Washington.
So great urgency here, not just in Ukraine, I should point out, but the overspill of the Iraq (sic) war has left Europe generally lacking in
interceptors for this kind of missile threat.
So an urgent issue here that seems to be something Russia is seeking to exploit. They know there's a crisis in interceptors. They're using
missiles, indeed, instead. And as we've seen from the horrific scenes today, successful in a very warped and brutal way.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. Always good to have you, Nick. Thank you very much indeed.
Well, the wildfire risk growing across Europe. A major incident has been declared in England as firefighters battle a blaze on the Suffolk coast
near a nuclear power plant.
The E.U. warning of risk further east in Italy and in Greece and fires also picking up in Turkiye. France and Spain, of course, have been fighting the
worst fires in living memory. Authorities say some fires have now been stabilized but with the hot weather forecast until at least Sunday, things,
they say, could still get worse.
CNN's senior international correspondent Melissa Bell, joining us now live from -- I think you're in Lege-Cap-Ferret.
Am I right in saying that?
Yes, you're still there. I mean, you've been down there now for a couple of days, Melissa. Just fill us in on what you're seeing and hearing there.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. We've been coming in and out of this command and control center at Lege-Cap-
Ferret now for much of the last week.
What we've just had a chance to do, though, Becky, is, for the very first time, to go to ground zero of this fire, this massive, monstrous Gironde
fire that we've been following since it began just over a week ago.
Since it was last Wednesday that the first flames started to engulf parts of the forest near the village of Saumos. And we've just been to see it.
There is nothing left. The scenes are absolutely apocalyptic. And you get a sense of just how violent this fire was.
What we've also had a chance to do, Becky, is go through the village of Le Porge. Now this is the next village along between here where I'm standing
now and that ground zero, the beginning point of the fire, not very far away.
And it appears because it is only now that we are able to begin counting the cost of this fire since this is the first time we, the press, have been
allowed into those areas where the firefighters are still working, where civilians still haven't been allowed back in.
And this is a village, much of which lies in ruins. It seems like Le Porge has borne the brunt in terms of the material devastation, in terms of the
number of homes that were either -- that were either destroyed, many of them totally destroyed, others badly impacted. Most of their owners haven't
had a chance to get back.
[10:15:00]
We have had a chance to spend time with one man, who spent the entire week there helping the firefighters, some of those civilians I've been talking
to you about these last few days who have been helping efforts throughout. So he was able to rediscover the ruins of his house much sooner than his
neighbors.
But it is a devastating sight. And what he was telling us is that those civilians, those locals who stayed throughout, saw that, by the Thursday
night into Friday morning, when the flames, some of them 25 meters high, he was saying, they were capable of jumping a kilometer across.
That's how violent it was, was entirely engulfing them. The firefighters, because of the spread of the fire, were taken elsewhere and they felt
abandoned to their fate. And many of those who were left just watched their homes burn with very little to prevent that happening.
So the impact there is really formidable. As to the rest of the fire, it does appear this morning, Becky, that, whilst there have been some flare-
ups.
And those continue to be fought by firefighters and civilians, helping them out, on the whole, these 42,000 hectares that had been stabilized but not
fixed, to use the jargon of the French authorities, that remains the case this morning.
It has not advanced. It is looking less and less likely that it will gain any ground. And they seem to be getting to the end of this fire, putting
out the flare-ups, continuing to keep a very close eye on the ground that remains extremely hot on flames that occasionally continue to pop up amidst
the trees.
But on the whole, more than a week after it began, it does appear, Becky, that they are finally managing to get to the end of this most monstrous of
fires. Becky
ANDERSON: I mean, you've lived in France most of your life. I -- just to put a pin in this, you know, you've been speaking to a lot of people, who
it sounds are, you know, pretty traumatized by this. I mean, this is the sort of trauma that just goes on for years. I mean, some of these scenes
are quite apocalyptic looking.
You've been in war zones yourself. Just as a final reflection, hopefully, as we move into a much better phase of this, you know, just your experience
of covering this as a story.
BELL: I couldn't agree with you more. And we're hoping to be able to show shortly some of the images that were shot by this particular local that I
mentioned, because these scenes are apocalyptic.
There is what is left. And that is bad enough but there is what has been witnessed by the firefighters and the civilians who were there, absolutely
terrifying and a trauma that they will likely never get over, even leaving aside what's happened to their homes.
And remember, Becky, that this is a part of the world where there were fires just four years ago. And what this man was just saying was that we
went through that four years ago. We spent years battling these, weeks battling those fires, getting to the end of it. And nothing has been
learned.
Here we are, four years later with a much bigger fire, not enough resources to help get to the end of it as quickly as they would have liked and
apparently no lessons learned about the monoculture that is practiced here.
The million hectares there are of pines down to the Spanish border that have been generationally cultivated in this way, because that is what
worked locally but that are no longer sustainable in an age of climate change, when the temperatures simply turn this kind of region into
kindling, its vegetation into kindling.
And those types of tree, given how flammable they are, into a tinderbox. And those lessons of four years ago have not been learned.
This time, they are hoping that, once they get over the worst of this and they start picking up the pieces of their individual lives, authorities
will be looking much more closely at the long-term consequences and conclusions and lessons of this particularly devastating fire. Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. It's good to have you. Thank you. Melissa.
Well, scientists say that extreme weather made worse by climate change has been a key driver in these fires.
How is Europe responding and how can it better prepare for extreme weather in the future?
Melissa there, talking about the lack of preparedness, even though, you know, it is not unfamiliar to see wildfires, just not in the sort of, you
know, scope that we've unscaled that we've seen this year. I spoke earlier with the European Commission executive vice president Teresa Ribera. Here's
what she told me last hour.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TERESA RIBERA, EUROPEAN COMMISSION VP FOR CLEAN, JUST & COMPETITIVE TRANSITION: it is impressive is that Europe being so committed to climate
action is not prepared for the heat waves, for the droughts, for the floods, flash floods that we are already experiencing.
So we see that the electricity systems do not operate as they should.
The emergency services in hospitals remain collapsed when we suffer these kinds of heat waves. That the ecosystems, the rural areas, the capacity to
prevent wildfires of this magnitude or even to react and manage, are still a lot compared to what we witness or what we expect as being the risk in
the future.
[10:20:00]
ANDERSON: So what will the European Commission's new strategy address?
You know, how are you going to address these weaknesses immediately?
RIBERA: We think that we need to pool resources to be able to respond whenever it is needed.
But we also need to ensure that the public awareness, the capacity to identify eventual risk, the resilience by design in any policy, whether we
are speaking about farming policy or infrastructures, urban policies.
The management of the land is prepared to cope with these temperatures or with these extreme events happening in the time to come.
As I said, think about electricity systems being demanded differently or being much more resilient or less resilient to heat waves or freezing
conditions.
So I think that coming along this understanding, being prepared to a temperature that may be three or four degrees higher than the pre-
industrial levels when we arrive the end of the century is very, very important.
ANDERSON: Yes.
RIBERA: And the insurance only covers around 25, 30 percent of the damages of the losses, so it could impact on people, on infrastructures and we need
to invest as much as we can and as soon as we can to prevent this type of harm, this type of cost.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Teresa Ribera speaking to me earlier.
When we come back, should private investors get involved in the World Cup?
There's been a furious backlash amongst football lovers against the latest idea from this man, the head of FIFA. More on that after this.
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ANDERSON: Well, opposition is hardening to FIFA's bid to change up the way that the World Cup is run significantly. UEFA, which is Europe's or
European football's governing body, is holding an emergency meeting as we speak and is considering the extreme step of boycotting FIFA competitions.
Now the idea that has got them so angry is Gianni Infantino's proposal that a new commercial entity, financed by private investors, should run the
World Cup and other tournaments.
The Asian Football Federation pushing back, saying it was blindsided by the head of FIFA. In a letter to all national associations, Infantino said each
would receive $40 million if they back the new deal by mid-September. Well "CNN SPORT"'s Patrick Snell joining us with the very latest.
You don't have to be a football purist to get a bit exercised by this story. There are myriad reasons why you might be upset by this story.
Let's start with the sort of, you know, the facts.
What do we know about the options that UEFA is weighing up?
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PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, one word: boycott.
Can you imagine Europe's leading countries boycotting?
And you're right to say more than just the World Cup. FIFA events, men's World Cup, women's World Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, all kinds of tournaments
the FIFA oversees.
And all of this. Becky, just days after the conclusion of the World Cup over here in North America, really successful tournament as well on so many
levels, including, of course, the issue of finance, FIFA banking a record $12 billion in income.
But now it seems the monetization theme, the agenda is very much front and center once again, I should say, further monetizing it all.
Could we really get a boycott of any FIFA-controlled competitions?
It's possible. I spoke to a former English FA chief executive, Mark Palios, who told me yes, it's possible. It is absolutely possible. Just imagine a
World Cup, Becky, without Spain, France or England, three of the four semifinalists at this year's men's edition, or a Club World Cup without
Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid or Barcelona.
Similarly, next year's World Cup without defending champ Spain or England, another powerhouse nation, the Lionesses. You mentioned UEFA, that's
European footy's governing body, far from happy.
UEFA in a statement, it is not FIFA's to sell. None of us are the owners of football. I want to hear now from Gianni Infantino, FIFA's president, who's
reassuring fans the sport we all know won't change, he says.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIANNI INFANTINO, PRESIDENT, FIFA: Well, the fans, they remain the cornerstone of the beautiful game. And the sport they watch and love will
not change.
FIFA obviously continues to govern football without any external interference and the flagship tournament it organizes, like FIFA World Cup
or the FIFA women's World Cup, will always remain.
More revenue returned to the member associations means more investment in better pitches, stronger national teams and more pathways for young girls
and young boys everywhere in the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And look, nobody is going to argue with the idea of getting more money into the development of football. That is, you know, that has huge
merit. But what he says, you know, nothing will change, it already changed.
Hydration breaks, to accommodate, you know; advertising during the World Cup, a longer halftime for the World Cup final to ensure that more money
was made.
So I think, you know, I think to say that nothing will change, you know, coming from Gianni Infantino is quite odd really, isn't it. Break down for
us why this proposal is so controversial.
SNELL: And Becky, you're absolutely right. You know, matches during the World Cup, they were broken up into quarters. We had four quarters, didn't
we, the Americanization, if you like, NFL style of the beautiful game. And no wonder that caused quite a lot of controversy.
And you're quite right to talk about the grassroots level as well and the money that FIFA has pumped into grassroots levels across many, many
countries, the smaller nations. We wouldn't have had the magnificent Cape Verde story were it not for that financing. So it's important to address
that point.
But you've also got a point into the fact, look, players are already stretched to the limit. Players don't want to be playing, for example, a
World Cup every two years. The toll it would take on their body, players don't want to be overstretched. That's an important point.
And there's this concept of, look, is football selling its soul?
Is that really it?
People don't want that. People who care and live and breathe football, they just don't want to see that happen.
You've also got the political aspect to all of this, Becky, because one of the potential investors, in the new entity, the proposed new entity, is
Thrive Eternal, launched by Joshua Kushner. He's the brother of Jared Kushner. He's the president -- he's president Trump's son-in-law. So you've
got that political connection here.
Keep in mind the World Cup that finished just a couple of weeks ago. Now it only deepened the political and the personal ties between Trump and
Infantino, fueled concerns as well about those very ties. So there's all kinds of angles in play here. People are very emotional about it.
And look, we also -- my big thing has been ticket pricing. The prices for the recently concluded World Cup were already astronomical. So were hotel
prices. So were flights across the North American summer. Fans were being priced out of the tournament and that's a tournament that just ended. So no
one wants that going forward, Becky.
It's no wonder there are so many eyes on this story right now and what UEFA are talking about, oh, to be inside that room today.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you. And more as we get it out of UEFA.
[10:30:00]
And just you brought up the Cape Verde story there. And that is, you know, that's a really important one about, you know, pushing money into
grassroots, into countries that, you know, cash-strapped countries that might otherwise not have cash.
But you know, the question is, is this the way to go about increasing that money going forward?
Let's stick on that Cape Verde story, because the team's 40-year old goalkeeping sensation, Vozinha, is expected in Chile today after being
drafted by the Colo-Colo Club for a six-month deal.
It is, though, already unclear whether he will be able to play with his nickname on his jersey. That's because regulations in Chile bar them from
use on football kits. Colo-Colo is now seeking an exception.
Well, for more on what awaits Vozinha in Chile, let's bring in CNN's Christopher Ulloa, who is live from Santiago.
Chris, tell us more about this man and how he is being welcomed in Chile.
What can we expect from him playing for this team?
CHRISTOPHER ULLOA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How are you, Becky?
That's correct. We're talking about this global sensation, Vozinha. And I'm going to show you right away in the images of my cameraman, Walter
Valenzuela.
We are right now at the Estadio Monumental, the official Colo-Colo stadium and the next home for this global sensation, Josimar Jose Diaz, better
known as Vozinha here in recent history, as many already call him, who quickly raised into fame and got more than 29 million followers, Becky, in
Instagram and still counting.
We have to remember he had some very shocking and breathtaking games against Spain and Argentina with very epic saves. But now he's coming to
Chile to play for this local team, Colo-Colo.
He's already on his way from Madrid, Spain, and is expected to arrive to the airport in Santiago around 8 pm. The fans are already expecting to go
to the airport to gather around to give Vozinha a proper welcome.
The question, of course, you were already talking about is Vozinha will be able to use his nickname in the jersey. Well, we'll have to wait to see
that because, according to the laws of the Chilean Association of Football, there is no -- there's no allowance to use nicknames in the jerseys.
But Colo-Colo is trying to do some exceptions but still have to be approved by all the Association of the Chilean Football. If everything goes as
planned, Vozinha is going to see us (INAUDIBLE) his first match in Colo- Colo, in the city of Vina del Mar, in a match between Colo-Colo and Everton.
But yes, the expectation is on and everybody, of course, is waiting to see the arrival at around 8 pm. And, of course, all the fans want to see
Vozinha wearing his name in the jersey.
ANDERSON: Amazing. Good to have you there. Thank you, sir.
We've got you down to Santiago in Chile. We are taking a short break. Coming up, we're going to get you into the States. New CNN polling shows
American voters' support for president Trump ebbing away. Let me get you to Washington to have a look at the findings.
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[10:35:00]
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson for you. The headlines this hour.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps warns that it will strike back after the latest U.S. attacks. U.S. CENTCOM says it targeted IRGC military
installations in response to what they described as a surprise Iranian attack in the region the night before. Jordan and Kuwait both reported
Iranian attacks today.
The world's largest economy lost momentum in the second quarter. U.S. GDP grew at a rate of 1.5 percent. That is well below the expected 2.1 percent
growth and comes as uncertainty from the Middle East conflict weighed on both consumers and on businesses.
President Donald Trump's pick for U.S. attorney general has hit a roadblock on Capitol Hill. The Senate Judiciary Committee has postponed what should
have been today's vote on whether to advance Todd Blanche's nomination.
Two key Republican senators say they are not ready to support his confirmation. And that, they say, is for a number of reasons.
ANDERSON: As the U.S.-Iran conflict expands, my colleague, Stephen Collinson, has written a new analysis piece for CNN.
In it, he argues, quote, "The U.S. war in Iran is in desperate need of new thinking. Despite new U.S. strikes on Wednesday following president Donald
Trump's F-bomb warning that Iran is due another beating, he has yet to show he can blast Tehran back to talks."
Stephen Collinson, joining us now from Washington.
You and I have spent months trying to understand Donald Trump's mindset throughout this war and asking ourselves, you know, what his options are at
this point. But the pressure on him does seem to be growing.
We're less than 100 days out from the midterms. That's very specifically a domestic priority and focus for his thoughts. Our new CNN poll shows voters
favoring Democrats by an 8-point advantage over Republicans.
And yesterday's poll also spelled trouble for Trump. You see his approval rating at 34 percent, Stephen. That's a new low; approval of his handling
of the economy at 30 percent; the war with Iran at 28 percent; inflation 25 percent; gas prices, the approval for his handling of gas prices down, at a
fifth of those polled, just 21 percent.
I mean, I wonder whether you believe this polling -- it's not just ours but this is the very latest -- will have any effect on Donald Trump's thinking
when it comes to the conflict.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's a very good question. I think, to some extent, it depends on whether such numbers are
actually reaching him. He tends to dismiss polls that he doesn't like.
There have been stories about how his staff have been giving him information in the past that suggests that things are a lot windier (ph)
than they appear. And, of course, a lot of his media consumption comes from conservative media, which basically skews reality toward what he would like
it to be.
So there is that question of the connection between his approval ratings, approval on the war and his actions. I mean, these are terrible numbers,
self-evidently.
The only comparable ones I can remember anecdotally were probably president George W. Bush, in the runup to the midterm election of 2006 after
Hurricane Katrina and as the Iraq war turned into an absolute quagmire and large numbers of American troops were being killed.
He went on and his Republicans to get a drubbing in that midterm election, which actually ended up paving the way to power back for the Democrats in
2008. So this is a very poor political situation just ahead of the midterms, as you say.
I think it does explain two things. One, obviously, Trump's reluctance to expand this into a ground war in Iran with that number, you know, less than
a fifth of Americans supporting this, that's not a political possibility.
And also, I think it explains why he seems to be so keen to try to throw up barriers to voting in the midterm elections.
[10:40:00]
ANDERSON: Yes.
COLLINSON: Because if he can't win them the right way, maybe he's trying to shape the result the wrong way.
ANDERSON: Out of the debris of that 2006 drubbing, of course, was the emergence for the Democrats of Obama. I just wonder, I want to get your
sense of where the Democrats are at this point.
I mean, you've got another domestic headwind for Donald Trump, acting attorney general Todd Blanche, his confirmation in serious jeopardy after a
key Republican holdout, senator John Cornyn of Texas, said he wasn't prepared to vote for him. It's the latest sign of resistance from Senate
Republicans to Trump's demeanor.
And then we've got this kind of shadow hanging over the Republicans as a whole for the midterms.
Where is the shining light or at least, you know, stability and, you know, robustness when it comes to the Democrats at this point?
Because it seems like it's theirs to lose.
COLLINSON: Yes. And they're not in great shape, either, despite the fact that they've got that lead in our poll, in the midterm polling. When voters
are generally asked about Democrats, they are just as unpopular as Republicans. The hangover from the Biden presidency, I think, is still very
real. The party doesn't have a recognized leader.
It's hard, even for me that spends, you know, my life watching this, to really understand what their midterm message is going into these elections.
They're talking about affordability questions. They're talking about Trump's corruption. They're talking about the war.
But there doesn't seem to be a really strong messenger, aside from perhaps someone like Georgia senator Jon Ossoff, who is running for reelection and
is already emerging as a potential 2008 candidate. He's very good at making the narratives.
But really the Republican -- the Democrats seem to be relying mostly on Trump's unpopularity to get them over the line, at least in terms of
winning the House.
The battle for the Senate, I think, is much more of a heavy lift for Democrats just because most of the really -- most of the seats that are up
look like they're going to be difficult for Democrats to take from Republicans. There aren't that many good pickup opportunities.
ANDERSON: Yes. It's always good to have you. Thank you.
And it is important to point out that our brand new CNN polling does also have interesting insight into how Democratic voters are feeling ahead of
the November midterms. And one key takeaway is a growing shift to the Left.
Just over a third of Democrats and Democratic-leaning adults polled said they identify as Democratic Socialists. It comes as candidates embracing
Democratic Socialist policies are gaining momentum in Democratic primaries across the country.
And, of course, one of the standard bearers of democratic socialism is the New York mayor, Zohran Mamdani. Up next, his plan to implement city-run
grocery stores offering 30 percent discounts. More on that after this.
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[10:45:00]
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ANDERSON: New York mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that he would implement a 30 percent discount at upcoming city-run grocery stores. Now his initial
plan for the stores already included lower prices for consumers. That's because, he says, they wouldn't have to pay rent or property taxes.
So on top of wholesale prices, New Yorkers could see costs come down even further. Now the first one is set to open by the end of 2027. But not every
New Yorker is happy about it. CNN's Katherine Koretski has the very latest for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D-NY), NYC: I'm proud to announce a collection of essential staples that will be, predictably, 30 percent cheaper at all five
of our city-run grocery stores.
KATHERINE KORETSKI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani announced this week that prices for core grocery items, like
fresh produce, meat, seafood, as well as essentials like cheese, milk and bread, will be 30 percent cheaper at the city's five proposed municipal
grocery stores.
With the first slated to open in 2027 and a goal to have all five open by the end of his first term.
MAMDANI: Thirty percent off adds up to real money for New Yorkers, with an estimated $90 saved on grocery bills each month. That is more than $1,000
saved every year.
KORETSKI: Under his plan, the prices will be locked in for a month and will not fluctuate like typical grocers. The discount will apply to all
shoppers regardless of their income.
But not everyone is looking forward to these stores. Anthony Pena, the president of the National Supermarket Association, which represents around
600 independent grocery stores across New York's Five Boroughs, is concerned it's going to hurt existing businesses.
ANTHONY PENA, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL SUPERMARKET ASSOCIATION: There's concerns of reselling. There's lots of concern that customers will accuse
them of price gouging.
You know, it's very concerning. Our members are very concerned. The little bodegas are concerned. The supermarkets are concerned because the last
thing we need is been servicing a community for 25 years and then, all of a sudden, get accused of price gouging. You know, it's tough. We feel like
it's a little slap in the face.
KORETSKI: But Mayor Mamdani says small businesses will be protected.
MAMDANI: We've talked about five city-run grocery stores, one in each borough. There is more than enough market for both existing grocers as well
as one city-run grocery store.
KORETSKI: As far as funding, the mayor has allocated $70 million in the capital budget to deliver on what he calls his, quote, "core commitment" to
New Yorkers. Pena believes these funds should be allocated into existing stores and has expressed those concerns with city hall.
PENA: If you open one city-run grocery store at those discounted prices, you're only affecting the life of the people within a block or two.
If you take the same funding or you take half of the funding that -- you got 70 -- but if you take $35 million and you distribute it amongst the
stores in the neighborhoods, you can change the life of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, not just a select few in the neighborhood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Interesting stuff. And we will continue to report on that as we see the development of that policy.
Well, one in three American adults report consulting AI about their health. That is according to a poll conducted earlier this year by the health
organization KFF. Many of those respondents, same respondents, also admit having concerns over disclosing private and sensitive data to the chatbot.
So how much should we share?
Well, Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins CNN earlier to discuss the rise of, quote, "AI doctors," explaining first about the potential positives.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, you can now upload your records to ChatGPT. And, you know, everything from
Apple Health, if you wear a tracker of some sort, to things from My Chart and Epic. So you're -- you could do your entire medical record.
And I'll tell you, doctors are already doing this for their patients in the sense that you have a patient coming in. Doctors may have already uploaded
their medical record to AI and gotten a summary from AI patients, in some sense, will all -- be allowed to do the same thing if they want.
And, you know, it can help with all sorts of different things. Help make sense of a note from a doctor that you just got.
I think one of the big things is you can ask it to summarize your health over the last whatever number of decades and even create a chart of your
health, like follow certain lab results, really increasing the understanding overall from -- between the doctor or physician. That's what
they're saying they're going to do.
And it's already happening, as you point out. I mean hundreds of millions of people are going to these AI platforms for questions. They want to make
it more personalized by allowing you to update your -- upload your records.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Gupta went on to describe why AI might provide a good alternative for those unable to visit their doctor. But he did warn its
limitations could result in misleading information.
[10:50:02]
Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: Here's how I'd talk about it. One is that I think it's probably better than Dr. Google as a general start. And it's more personalized if
you have your records in there. So more about Kate, for example, versus just the general population.
The second thing is, you know, this is going to sound a little strange to say but you can get a second opinion from another AI platform as well. So
maybe you go to ChatGPT. You could then ask Claude or somebody else or something else about their opinion on this thing.
So it's, in some ways, I think, better than the alternative for a lot of people they can't get in to see their doctor. So this provides something in
between.
One of the challenges I think is going to be, how do you prompt the AI platform to really make it understand what you're asking?
That's probably the biggest challenge for people. And also keep in mind that AI platforms, when they err, in some ways, they're reflecting your own
emotion. Meaning if you're very worried about something, they're more likely to take you down a worried route rather than a more pacifying route.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Important insight.
All right, up next here on CONNECT THE WORLD, with me, Becky Anderson, why K-pop sensation BTS will not be included in the Grammys next year. I'll
fill you in on the details after this.
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ANDERSON: Members of the K-pop supergroup BTS say they will not submit any music for consideration at next year's Grammy Awards. This comes about
after a month after the recording academy announced the new category for Asian pop for the first time.
BTS says they, quote, "hope that music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language."
CNN's Lisa Respers France is following this for us from Atlanta and she joins us now.
And I want to underscore the global success of BTS with some stats. Korean music site estimates they've reached 5.3 billion streams on Spotify. That
number one singles in 100 plus countries, including the U.S., U.K., Australia and Canada. And imagine this, BTS accounted for 0.3 percent of
South Korea's GDP. That's 4.9 billion in revenue in 2019.
You can see their appeal is global. So just unpack this decision, their decision, for us and how the Grammys has responded.
LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, I think that they're taking a stance not just for them because, as you point out,
they are widely successful but also for other K-pop artists other than them.
The Grammys, they have responded. The Grammys' CEO, Harvey Mason Jr., has said that he's saddened by the fact that BTS has made this decision to not
submit for the Grammys.
But however, he says as a musician, he understands. And, you know, it sounds like he's being pretty accepting.
But it feels like this hasn't landed very well because he also wanted to point out that, just because they may have gotten nominated for the Asian
pop music performance award doesn't mean that they couldn't also submit if they wanted to for the big ones, like Record of the Year or Album of the
Year.
And that is really the feeling with the BTS Army as their fan base is known. They feel like this particular category was created because they
want to steer K-pop artists into those type of categories and shut them out from the bigger categories. Becky.
[10:55:00]
ANDERSON: Yes.
FRANCE: So, yes, really the fan base has spoken loudly and they're standing very clearly with BTS, because, you know, they feel like this is a
stand that they wish, you know, maybe other artists might have taken, you know, be it, you know, Afrobeats or even like some of the rappers.
Because there's this sense that if you don't fit into the lane that they anticipate you to be in, then consequently the Grammys is going to make you
fit into that lane.
But I have to say, I talked to Mr. Mason back in January, prior to this year's Grammys in February. And he talked to me specifically about the work
that he's doing to make the Grammys, make the recording academy more diverse and also about his embrace of global music.
And we talked specifically about K-pop and he said he feels like K-pop is at a moment right now, where, you know, Latin music was 25 years ago in the
interest and in the energy. And he was very supportive of K-pop music.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: It's a difficult position for him to be in because you can see that the effort is there to ensure that there is that diversity. There's
always going to be an argument, you know, you know, both sides on this one, I think. It's a good talker. Let's agree on that. It's good to have you.
Always a pleasure. Thank you so much.
And that's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. CNN is back with "ONE WORLD" after this.
END
