Return to Transcripts main page

Isa Soares Tonight

Iran Cites Deal With The U.S. Is Closer Than Ever; Elon Musk Becomes the World's First Trillionaire After SpaceX Went Public; U.S. and Canada Gear Up for Their First Matches of the FIFA World Cup. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired June 12, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Christina Macfarlane in for ISA SOARES TONIGHT. The

message from Tehran: A deal with the U.S. has never been closer.

But that hasn't stopped President Donald Trump from lashing out at Iran. Elon Musk becomes the world's first trillionaire after SpaceX goes public.

And all eyes on host nations Canada and the United States, ahead of the first World Cup matches.

We begin now with some breaking news. After months of false starts and dashed hopes, there are signs today an interim deal between the U.S. and

Iran could be coming together. The Iranian Foreign Minister says a Memorandum of Understanding between the two nations has, quote, "never been

closer."

And Pakistan's Prime Minister says the U.S. and Iran have reached a final, agreed-upon text of the peace deal. But just hours after declaring the U.S.

and Iran had agreed to a great settlement, U.S. President Donald Trump is lashing out at the Iranian regime.

In an online post, he claimed Tehran is misrepresenting the terms of the interim deal. Iranian state media report Iran is not willing to give up

control of the Strait of Hormuz, and the agreement needs to include the release of billions of frozen Iranian funds.

Well, let's get straight to the White House now. CNN's Kevin Liptak, who is across this. So, Kevin, the real, I guess, significant development in the

last hour is the Pakistan mediator saying that the U.S. have reached this final agreed-upon text of a peace deal. What more are you learning about

that and what the White House is saying?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right, and we've just heard from a senior administration official who has been laying out and kind of the most

fulsome detail, the American perspective of what exactly is included in this framework, the way they characterized it as being 85 percent there.

Of course, that leaves 15 percent, that doesn't seem as if it's completed, but still a lot of optimism that this will eventually get signed over the

next couple of days or so. The way the White House is characterizing this deal, sort of three main buckets.

One is that, it will reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift the American blockade of Iranian ports that had been in place for the last several

months. When it comes to Iran's nuclear program, it includes a commitment from Iran not to obtain a nuclear weapon.

That, in and of itself is not new. The Iranians have committed to that previously. What the official said is new in this particular framework is

that Iran has committed to dismantling its nuclear program, and also destroying its enriched material on site in Iran, and then taking it out of

the country.

Remember, Iran is believed to have almost a 1,000 pounds of highly-enriched uranium buried deep underground. And the fate of that had been a sticking

point in this deal. The third bucket is the financial relief that Iran can expect as part of this agreement.

That had been another main hurdle in these negotiations. And this is where you see sort of dispute between the two sides about what exactly is

included here. The American side insists that Iran will see neither sanctions relief nor the unfreezing of its assets unless it meets its

commitments as part of this plan.

And they're framing it as essentially a one-for-one arrangement where Iran of -- either, you know, reopens the Strait or fulfills one of the nuclear

commitments and some of the sanctions will be lifted. And so, they're saying that unless Iran goes down that path, that they won't see any

financial relief.

That the benefits will only accrue as they deliver on some of these provisions. What the Iranians said today through state media is that, in

fact, there will be an initial payment of roughly $12 billion as soon as this memorandum is signed.

And so, that seems to be a big discrepancy. That's part of why President Trump was lashing out this morning, because he saw what was reported in the

Iranian state media and it didn't comport with his own understanding of the plan.

[14:05:00]

And so, still some inconsistencies on how each side are describing what has been agreed here, but nonetheless, also optimism from both sides that this

deal is now headed very much to the finish line, and that it could potentially be signed very soon.

Now, we understand that, that could happen as early as Sunday. Right now, the location appears to be Geneva, although nothing is official and

nothing has been set in stone. The G7 Summit occurring very close to Geneva in Evian-les-Bains early next week.

And so, that seems to be where all sides seem to be converging, hopefully getting this agreement across the finish line very quickly.

MACFARLANE: All right, Kevin Liptak there from the White House for us for now. Thank you. And of course, if the two sides can reach an interim

agreement, that would open a 60-day ceasefire window to negotiate.

There's not a lot of time for these two sides to try to address some very contentious and complex issues. Well, consider that the previous nuclear

deal took more than two years to negotiate. One Middle East analyst, though, told CNN, a 60-day time frame is feasible if U.S. negotiators rely

on goals similar to those from the 2015 agreement.

Well, we're glad to have with us, Danny Citrinowicz; who is a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, he served 25

years in the Israeli Military Intelligence, including as the head of the Iran branch in the Research and Analysis Division.

Thank you so much, Danny, for joining us tonight. Look, before we get to the framing that Kevin was talking to there, that the U.S. are putting out

about this, I just want to get your immediate thoughts on the rhetoric we've seen today, going back-and-forth, because we've been here so many

times before, you know, with the Trump administration touting a possible deal before seeing it all collapse.

But with these comments that we have had, not just from Pakistan, the mediator in this, but from Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, how

significant are those? And how close do you feel we are here to a deal?

DANNY CITRINOWICZ, SENIOR FELLOW, INSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES: Good evening from Israel. Definitely, we are closer as we've ever been to a

deal between Iran and the U.S. Necessarily, we'll have a deal, but definitely we're very close to.

We have to remember that there is a mistrust between both sides, and the negotiations are not direct. So, it's indirect negotiations. So, it's very

hard to overcome differences. Having said that, I think that both sides are eager to reach a political diplomatic agreement that will end the war,

because I don't think they love -- other option that they have.

They're not afraid of that. This is why I think that despite all the tension that we're seeing today, that is based mainly on the

misunderstanding and mistrust between the sides, I think that eventually, they will come to an agreement, given the fact that the other options look

very bad to them.

MACFARLANE: And so, what do you make of the American officials framing the Iran deal as being performance based? You know, that nuclear material will

first be destroyed and removed before any frozen or financial relief money essentially will be released to Iran.

I mean, it's worth noting that we actually haven't had confirmation of that from the Iranians yet, but what do you make of what's being put forward

here?

CITRINOWICZ: Well, I think it's obvious that each side trying to emphasize the advantages of the agreement, and I think that we have to wait and see

what is included in the agreement because each side is putting different things.

Definitely from the Iranian side, they're not going to agree to an agreement without economical ease at the beginning of the agreement itself.

And from the U.S. standpoint, they're not only agreeing on anything that Iran in terms of the nuclear meaning that they're demanding that Iran will

do something or commit to something regarding its nuclear abilities, even on the first stage of the agreement.

So, again, we have to wait to see the details of things that each side minimizing the cost, and of course, emphasizing the advantages from his

part. But let's see how things are evolving in the next couple of days and see the full details.

I believe that each side had to compromise, but we have to say one important thing. This agreement strengthened the same regime that U.S. and

Israel seek to topple just a couple of months ago.

MACFARLANE: And of course, this is not just going to be job done. It will lead to an extension of the space in which the two sides can talk. It is

debatable how much can be achieved in a 60-day window with so many intractable issues on the table. What do you think is going to be left out

of any deal or kicked down the road to achieve this deal?

CITRINOWICZ: Well, I think it's obvious that the next -- the second phase of the deal will be focused on the nuclear program of Iran. There are not

going to be any negotiation on the missile restrictions, nor the support to the proxies because of the fact that for Iran, it's basic pillar of the

regime.

[14:10:00]

And I'm not going to forego that. Now, even on the nuclear side, I think that 60 days, it will be very challenging to reach something substantial. I

don't think we need to remember to go back to JCPOA, the two-year negotiation.

But 60 days will be hard. But I think it's more than everything. I think that we have to look at how the both sides reach negotiations. The main

problem that we have is that probably U.S. will lose the leverage that it has trying to force the Iranians to agree to the details that -- or the

conditions they want to implement regarding the Iranian nuclear program.

But I think when you sum it up, I think that the negotiation will be challenging, I think the mistrust is huge. I think the misunderstanding is

huge -- is huge. I'm not sure that even if we'll have an MOU signed, then we'll reach a final agreement actually.

MACFARLANE: Interesting. Danny, this is obviously going to run and run, we appreciate your comments this hour, appreciate it. Thank you. Now, Elon

Musk's SpaceX has just made the biggest stock market debut in history in an IPO valuing the company at $2 trillion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BELL RINGING)

(CHEERS)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Oh, you're looking at the first ever dual opening in Nasdaq history. SpaceX bosses ringing the opening bell in New York as Musk took

the reins from SpaceX headquarters in Texas. And this is how the share price is doing right now.

SpaceX, they're trading 170 share price, up from what was expected, it should be said. Musk says he can't quite believe what is happening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELON MUSK, FOUNDER, SPACEX & TESLA: And let me tell you, if people had told me this was the -- going to happen, I was like, man, you must be

smoking some really good crack.

(LAUGHTER)

MUSK: Because I think this company is going to fail. I mean, I gave -- I gave -- I gave SpaceX less than a 10 percent chance of succeeding at all,

to be clear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Hadas Gold has been following this historic financial news there from New York. So, Hadas, $170, I think a share price, which is above

the touted trading price of $135. So, is this what we expected, given the hype?

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think most companies, when they have an IPO, they want to see that 20 percent jump in their first day. But this is

higher than that. I think last time I checked, a few seconds ago, something like a 27 percent jump.

And keep in mind that, that is a tactic that sometimes companies will undertake, kind of undervaluing their IPOs to get that attention, to get

that excitement. But there is no doubt that there was a lot of excitement over this IPO.

We're hearing from some firms like Fidelity and Charles Schwab, who were just talking about the unprecedented number of requests that they had. We

understand that this was an oversubscribed IPO. There are some reports that it was four times oversubscribed.

And Robinhood, that trading platform app that a lot of retail investors use, their app was having some problems. It was down for a lot of people

because they were saying -- they said that they were getting record- breaking traffic from the number of people who were trying to buy shares of SpaceX, largest IPO in history.

A lot of people are paying attention to this. I was at the Nasdaq earlier today, just outside watching all of the fans, a lot of people were

gathering outside of the Nasdaq just to watch what is a very historic moment, because not only is it the largest IPO in history, we have now

minted the world's first-ever trillionaire in Elon Musk, was already the wealthiest person around.

But just to give you a sense of how wealthy Elon Musk is, he is wealthier than the GDPs of several countries. He has also -- the amount of wealth

that he has gained just today as a result of this IPO is greater than Jeff Bezo's entire net worth.

So, he is leaps and bounds richer now than the richest people in the world. It is -- it is hard to fathom just how wealthy Elon Musk is today. And I

should also note that this IPO has minted several thousand other millionaires and potential billionaires, and a lot of people are making

money off of this.

The early investors, the early funds who invest in a SpaceX are quite happy with the results of the IPO so far today. Christina?

MACFARLANE: Yes, and a lot of those millionaires, I believe, within, SpaceX company as well, employees from within the company. I can't get my

head really around these figures, but it is definitely a huge significant day. Hadas Gold, thank you.

And let's talk a little bit more about Elon Musk, who is, as Hadas says, the world's first trillionaire, worth an amount of money that's impossible

to spend in one lifetime. If you're interested, $1 trillion is 1 million- million.

[14:15:00]

In other words, even if you spent a million dollars for every hour of every day, it would take more than a century to spend it all. Only about 20

countries on earth have economies larger than $1.1 trillion, and for $1 trillion, you could buy all the property in Houston, Texas, if you felt so

inclined or virtually every sports team on the planet.

Well, David Goldman is in New York. And David, I've been, you know, wrapping my head around these numbers all day, and it's still pretty mind-

boggling. Just talk to us about the significance of this moment.

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: I would like to try, maybe give me just a billion dollars. I would take that. I'll share it with you.

We could go and try to spend that much money, I don't know. This is a huge --

MACFARLANE: I would not buy a sports team; I would buy handbags.

GOLDMAN: I -- there you go, OK, all right. So, yes, we each have our own thing that we're going to buy. I think that we could figure that out

together. Look, this is a big deal. How do you know it's a big deal? Look at the size font that I used for this.

It is a really big IPO, Hadas is absolutely right. If you look at the numbers behind this, $135 a share is what the IPO was last night already at

$170. It raised $75 billion last night. That is the largest IPO in history by a factor of three.

Now, this morning when it started, it was at $1.7 trillion. It is now much more than that, over $2 trillion. It is the sixth largest company in the

entire world. And this is not a new company. This is a company that has been mature.

You usually don't get companies that are this mature going public. And how do we know that? Look at this, $18.7 billion in sales, and that is up 33

percent over the past year. Clearly, it's growing. But there's always a but, it is also losing an incredible amount of money.

Look at this $4.9 billion just over the past year. And in the first three months, three months of the year, it lost $4.3 billion. Why? What's going

on here? Well, it all has to do with A.I., because in addition to launching rockets, this company is also trying to be an A.I. competitor.

It spent $12.7 billion last year. But look at this, in the first three months, it has already spent close to $8 billion. What's it doing? It's

trying to launch data centers in space. Why do that? Because you can get free cooling, and you get free electricity from the sun.

And so, it has the Starlink network of satellites. It can beam that signal back down to earth. It's a pretty good idea, but it's an expensive one.

That's not where the ambition ends, though. Also, they want to establish colonies on Mars.

They want to establish colonies on the moon, and if they do that, then Elon Musk will make another trillion dollars. Yes, another trillion dollars.

Elon Musk is, as you said, the first trillionaire, and that is one followed by 12 zeros.

Let's see if I can get it all here -- oh, no, I'm going to run out of room. It is a lot of zeros. What am I up to? OK, we're going to have to stop

there. It's a lot of money. Like you said, a million-million. I will take a small part of that. I will share it with you, you buy your handbags.

I'll buy my sports team; I think we're going to have a really good time.

MACFARLANE: I feel bad now saying handbags. There will certainly be something more worthy of attention than my handbags. But David --

GOLDMAN: Let me know, we'll figure it out. Get lots of money this --

MACFARLANE: It's mind-boggling. Thank you so much, David --

GOLDMAN: Thank you --

MACFARLANE: More to come on this, of course. Co-hosts Canada and the U.S. are having their World Cup opening ceremonies today. The festivities are

already underway right now in Toronto. Canada will take on Bosnia- Herzegovina in the next hour.

And in a few hours from now, Los Angeles will put on a star-studded show before the U.S. men's team and Paraguay go head-to-head. Well, just a day

earlier, Mexico, another host nation, had a dramatic win in the first match of the tournament.

CNN's World Sports Coy Wire joins us now from southern California. And I guess, Coy, that most of -- I know you've been waiting for it, but this is

the moment America has been waiting for. What is the feeling there in California as we count down to that opening game?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: It's picking up. It really started picking up yesterday, Christina, good to see you. The jerseys, the kits out

in full force. This is years of anticipation, right? Countless dreams and enough hype to fill every stadium in this tournament.

[14:20:00]

The day is finally here for the United States to begin its World Cup journey. For these players, this is a moment they've been chasing since

they were kids, right? Juggling in the backyard, imagining a packed stadium chanting their name.

We asked some of the stars, Christian Pulisic and others about what they'll be feeling in the moment. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIAN PULISIC, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: Probably will be looking out for my family and friends in the stands who have supported me throughout

all this, so there'll be a lot of emotions. It will be a proud moment representing the U.S., home soil in a World Cup. I mean, very special.

SEBASTIAN BERHALTER, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: Very happy emotion, and you know, if tears come, tears come. But yes, I'm -- I can't wait for that

moment.

WESTON MCKENNIE, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: Full circle moment. Because, you know, as a kid dreaming about being in that position, wearing the crest

and being able to hear the national anthem, I think it's something that, yes, it makes dreams come true.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: I talked to one of the young stars, Alex Freeman yesterday, Christina, he told me I'm nervous. I'm not trying to hide it. Tonight,

feels bigger than 90 minutes. It's another chapter in this story of how soccer grew from a niche sport in America to one capable of stopping an

entire nation in its tracks.

Standing in their way to start it off, Paraguay, a team known for its grit, toughness. The players told me yesterday, they are in for a physical,

feisty match. They know it, and they can't let that get them off track. We asked the U.S. players about their expectations heading in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT FREESE, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: You know, we already believe we can win, and we're a hungry, competitive group of guys.

MCKENNIE: If you string together enough wins and good performances, you know, the stars are the limit.

GIO REYNA, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: We believe collectively that we can do something really special to change, yes, soccer in this country forever.

FOLARIN BALOGUN, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: We're looking forward to going out there and making the nation proud.

AUSTON TRUSTY, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: I think on the outside, people maybe would doubt us in a sense, but why not us?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right, Paraguay is in the World Cup for the first time in 16 years. They reached the quarterfinals back then in 2010, something the U.S.

team hasn't done since 2002, Christina. So, don't expect an easy one. That's what makes the World Cup special.

The pressure, the passion and the possibilities. World Cups don't create legends, you know this. They reveal them. Tonight, America's next chapter

begins. We'll see how it all starts off for the U.S.

MACFARLANE: Yes, and so important to hear from the players there, because obviously there's been a bit of chaos, hasn't there? In the build-up to the

start of this tournament. Important to remember what it means for those players stepping out, many of them for the first time on a World Cup stage.

Coy Wire, enjoy the moment, thank you and great to see you.

All right, still to come tonight, Keir Starmer is not on the ballot, but this election near Manchester could decide the British Prime Minister's

future. Nic Robertson reports from Macclesfield, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:25:00]

MACFARLANE: Now, under increasing pressure, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he will fight to keep his job despite recent hits to his

government. His Secretary of Defense and a more junior Defense Minister resigned Thursday following a dispute over military spending.

Mr. Starmer has lost several other ministers in the past month. And in an interview today, the Prime Minister said he's not going to walk away from

his position. To do so would, quote, "plunge the country into the chaos of leadership election."

Well, one man who could topple Prime Minister Starmer is about to face the electorate, and while no formal leadership bid has been established, a

special election next week near Manchester involving Andy Burnham may determine the future of U.K. politics. Nic Robertson reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Andy Burnham; the charismatic Manchester mayor is on a mission to become Prime

Minister, and it's starting here in a local election in Makerfield, a northern working-class area.

MAYOR ANDY BURNHAM, MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM: Even at all, Friday evening in the Burnham campaign HQ at Stubbs Cross, there they all are,

hard at -- hard at work.

ROBERTSON: Burnham's folksy vibe in here is part of his political superpower, and he's going to need it. This election is widely expected to

be one of the most unconventional and consequential in a generation. This is where the story, so-to-speak, begins.

Downing Street two years ago, Keir "no drama" Starmer delivers a rollicking election victory, bringing his Labor Party to power, tossing out the Tories

who tore through four prime ministers in three years. Expectations were Starmer would deliver stability.

His massive mandate would bring change, but the economy faltered, missteps followed, not least, Starmer appointing Peter Mandelson; a former friend of

Jeffrey Epstein, to be his ambassador to the United States.

When details of Mandelson's relationship with Epstein leaked last year, Starmer fired him. Mandelson denied wrongdoing and cost Starmer

credibility. Calls for a leadership change grew.

CHRIS CURTIS, LABOR MP: People are starting to lose faith in that kind of mainstream politics in order to fix the problems that this country faces.

They're doing it because for too long, that kind of politics hasn't solved those problems.

ROBERTSON: Curtis, a former pollster and now a Labor MP, wants Starmer replaced, sees Makerfield as make or break for Labor, their biggest

challenge coming from the hard right reform party.

CURTIS: They are leading in the opinion polls at the moment. But it's not just the fact that they could win the next general election, and the polls

show us that they could. It is just how disastrous I think they would be for the country if they did.

ROBERTSON (on camera): So, back to Makerfield and Burnham's path to Prime Minister, for the past 120 years, voters here have always returned Labor

MPs. But this working-class community, like so many across the country, is giving up on the main political parties.

The relatively untested new kids on the block, populist right-wing reform are surging where Starmer is stumbling.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The proper local --

ROBERTSON (voice-over): The race so tight, Reform leader, sometime Trump friend and Brexit cheerleader Nigel Farage is suddenly spending time in

Makerfield, trying to make sure his candidate, Rob Kenyon wins.

NIGEL FARAGE, LEADER, REFORM UK: I'm thinking as many Reform supporters as possible will come and help him between now and June the 18th, the day of

this epic battle against Andy Burnham.

ROBERTSON: For Farage, Kenyon's victory in Makerfield would signal his and Reform's path to Downing Street isn't just a pipe dream, that U.K. politics

is changed for good and a chance to realize Reform's right-wing policies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In his first act as Prime Minister, not a single unauthorized vessel crossing the English Channel --

BURNHAM: A vote for me in this by-election campaign is a vote to change Labor.

ROBERTSON: Burnham, by contrast, would shift his party and the U.K. the other direction to the left.

BURNHAM: Like we just need to take stronger action to get the basics affordable for people back under public control.

ROBERTSON: At the moment, power sits with Labor. Over 400 MPs to Reform's eight, but Makerfield is set to test who has their finger on the British

pulse, a bellwether for the next general election. Nic Robertson, CNN, Makerfield, England.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[14:30:09]

MACFARLANE: Now, CNN contacted the Green Party, the Conservatives, and the Liberal Democrats for comment. The Liberal Democrats said "Labour Party

infighting has undermined trust in politics and that its candidate is standing in Makerfield to show voters what a committed local champion looks

like, one who isn't caught up in national leadership ambitions."

All right, still to come tonight, we're less than an hour away from Canada's first game of their World Cup campaign. We'll bring you that and a

round-up of all the action so far, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: More now on our breaking news. Pakistan's prime minister says he can confirm that a final agreed-upon text of a peace deal has been

reached between the U.S. and Iran. A Trump administration official says under the terms of the proposed deal, the Strait of Hormuz would reopen and

the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports would be uplifted -- would be lifted. Iran would dismantle its nuclear program and the sanctions on Iran would be

gradually lifted if Tehran complies with the deal.

Let's go straight to Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv for the view on this from Israel. And Jeremy, it's worth noting that Israel's defense minister came

out earlier today and said that Israel will not withdraw from Lebanon amidst any potential peace deal. So, how do you think this news is being

received there?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's no question that the Israelis are incredibly skeptical about this emerging deal between the

United States and Iran. The Israeli prime minister has been skeptical of the negotiations basically since the ceasefire was agreed to between the

U.S. and Iran back in April. And throughout it he has privately sought to, you know, seek a resumption of the war effectively with Iran not believing

that Iran was prepared to make the kinds of concessions to get to a deal that Israel would consider to be a good one.

But President Trump, the Iranian foreign minister, and the Pakistani prime minister, a key mediator to this, all indicating that we are now in the

final stages of finalizing this agreement. And should that agreement go through, we've just heard from a senior admin -- senior U.S. administration

official who says that they believe the Israelis will end up getting on board. That once the Israelis see the details of this deal that they will

be supportive of it. That was the view of this senior U.S. administration official who just briefed reporters on all of this.

But how does that actually work in practice? Because as you noted, the Israeli defense minister today once again reasserting that Israel will not

withdraw from security zones that it has established, including in Lebanon. He also made clear that Israel will continue to act against "both near and

distant threats and strive for decisive outcomes, not compromises or concessions."

Now, this senior administration official said that this broader peace agreement, regional peace agreement will include Lebanon, meaning Israel

must ceasefire in Lebanon. But he noted that Israel "doesn't give up the right to self-defense." And the way in which self-defense is ultimately

defined here will determine whether or not this deal, should it go through, actually is successful or not. Because we have seen in the past the ways in

which Israeli strikes in Lebanon and the continuation of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has in the past led to, you know, nearly upending this

broader ceasefire agreement. It's what led to Iranian strikes against Israel last week after Israel bombed the Lebanese capital of Beirut. And

Iran has made quite clear that it must -- that this ceasefire must include Lebanon as well. So, we'll see how much Israel would actually pair back its

strikes in Lebanon should this deal actually go through.

[14:37:09]

MACFARLANE: Yes, we'll continue to keep a close eye on Israel's response to all of this. Jeremy Diamond, I appreciate it there from Jerusalem.

Canada is hoping to get their World Cup campaign off to a winning start this afternoon. The tournament co-hosts are taking on Bosnia-Herzegovina in

less than minutes from now and Team USA will take on Paraguay in their opening match later tonight.

Well, today's fixtures follow a lively opening game in Mexico City. South Africa finished that game with nine men as they lost two-nil to Mexico and

the hosts also had a player dismissed in the final minutes of the match. And we saw multiple rows of empty seats during the game between South Korea

and the Czech Republic, renewing concerns over ticket prices.

Well, we're joined now by Simon Kuper, Financial Times Columnist and author of the World Cup Fever. He joins me now live from Paris. Simon, great to

have you with us. And look, I think for all the exciting football we have in store in the weeks ahead here, the reality is I think you'd be hard

pushed to find a football fan that is really genuinely excited about this World Cup. And that's because the tournament has been besieged by so many

problems even before it's begun. I mean, I mentioned the empty seats there that we saw in that South Korea-Czech Republic game, which I guess is a

sign of that.

And I just want to start there with the excessive prices of ticketing that we've seen in the lead-up to this because Gianni Infantino on Wednesday

night was making some big claims about ticket pricing saying that they were on a par with most other major sporting events and that demand has exceeded

expectations by a factor of 10 or more for this World Cup. So, can you just begin by telling us what is the reality here when it comes to these ticket

prices which have been such a bone of contention in recent days?

SIMON KUPER, COLUMNIST, FINANCIAL TIMES: It's very hard to believe what FIFA says about ticket sales and they don't provide evidence. They seem to

have withheld loads of tickets for games only offering small amounts of tickets at very high prices. So, you felt, well, there are no cheap tickets

so if I want to go I have to buy the expensive tickets.

Now with the tournament starting, you're seeing they're having to put a lot more tickets on the markets and prices have fallen quite a lot for a lot of

games. It's also not clear that they will sell out all the games and the sight of empty seats, especially in the corporate areas yesterday was

worrying.

So, this has been mishandled. It's created, as you say, a very bad mood around the start of the World Cup. I don't know what sporting events he's

comparing these ticket prices with, but they're totally out of kills with all past World Cups. At almost any past World Cup, you could get into

almost any game for under $100 at current prices. So, this is really shocking. It's against the spirit of the World Cup.

And I'm worried that the bad mood will the bad mood will persist even with the football starting. Whereas in Qatar and Russia, once the football

started, people really got into it from the start.

[14:40:19]

MACFARLANE: Yes, it's a good point. I mean, I've covered so many sporting events myself and that is generally the expectation, but at this World Cup,

you just don't know because there is so much what feels like anger really directed ahead of this World Cup at FIFA at Gianni Infantino especially, I

would say, following those tone-deaf comments on Wednesday during that press conference where he told everyone to just chill over the chaos that

we've seen.

I mean, is that discontent, that anger justified given the ethical and operational issues that have been in full display in recent days?

KUPER: Well, Infantino was equally tone-deaf ahead of the World Cup in Qatar, saying, you know, today I feel gay, today I feel this and that, and

he was trying to say that he understood the downtrodden of the world. He is an extremely poor public performer, which is why he doesn't give many press

conferences. But usually, people are able to switch off from FIFA, switch off from the political horrors once the football starts and really enjoy

it.

Now I think what's different here is that Donald Trump doesn't want a smooth World Cup. He doesn't want a conflict-free World Cup. He hasn't sort

of ordered his people to step down a bit the anti-immigration further. And so, you've seen that the referee has been -- a Somali referee was sent home

and Iraqi star player was interrogated for seven hours at the airport. The Uzbek Team were hauled off their bus and searched including by dogs.

So, whereas in past World Cups, the host country really wanted a smooth World Cup even if it was a terrible regime like Vladimir Putin's Russia.

They wanted a World Cup that was friendly and fun. Donald Trump doesn't want that. He wants to enact to dramatize his kind of anti-world, anti-

immigration stance at this World Cup.

MACFARLANE: Yes. And we know, of course, how much Donald Trump likes to tweet and to be center of attention, so it's -- you know, not certain that

won't permeate throughout this entire tournament as well. Just to the football itself, we saw for the first time these new water breaks

implemented which is essentially turning the game I guess into four quarters.

I mean there was concern about, you know, broadcast networks capitalizing on this for commercial breaks, TV show breaks in the midst of the

tournament and we did actually see one broadcaster, Fox, kind of cut away two commercial breaks during the game. How controversial are these water

breaks? Are they really needed? What is the feeling about this?

Well, in the past there have been water breaks when temperatures went above a certain level, but as I understand it in Mexico City when Mexico played

South Africa, it wasn't that hot. You would not normally have water breaks, but they seem to have made the water break an automatic part of the game in

part to allow broadcasters to show ads, which the broadcasters want to do, but which is against football tradition to interrupt a match for ads. And

so, it does seem to be a largely commercially driven decision. I mean, by all means have water breaks if it's dangerously hot, but don't if it's not.

MACFARLANE: Yes, it's a good point. And are you looking forward to watching the football, Simon? Who are you looking forward to watching the most if we

turn to the football itself?

KUPER: Well, I'm a Holland fan. I'm not particularly looking forward to watching them. They're not going to be great. I think France have the most

beguiling attack at a World Cup since Brazil in 2002. Watching the French front four with players like Mbappe, Dembele, Michael Olise is just --

should be fantastic. Spain are a lovely team to watch.

MACFARLANE: Yes, once Kylian Mbappe puts that in the top right-hand corner, all of this will be forgotten, as you say, all these troubles and these

concerns. Simon Kuper, great to have your thoughts this evening. Thank you.

All right, still to come tonight, we look back on the life and legacy of famed painter David Hockney, who has died at the age of 88.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:46:49]

MACFARLANE: One of contemporary art's most beloved figures, David Hockney, has died at the age of 88. While living in Los Angeles in the 1960s,

Hockney established himself as a key figure in the pop art movement. His deeply personal style was characterized by self-portraits, still lives, and

depictions of his friends and lovers.

Nick Glass looks back on Hockney's life and legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK GLASS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Always wildly popular, always instantly recognizable, and stepping up in 2016 to show us

what was in all but name his autobiography.

DAVID HOCKNEY, PAINTER AND STAGE DESIGNER: Their stunning reproductions stunning, actually. That's the arrival of spring.

Well, I realize this book would last a hundred years probably. Most people will see my work in this book. Why not do it really good?

GLASS (voice-over): Hockney was born an observer as a boy from the top of a double-decker bus in his native Bradford.

HOCKNEY: I've always loved looking. I've always loved looking. When I could go on the Bradford buses on my own, I used to run right upstairs, run to

the front of the buses so you could see more. You could see more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is -- this is you 16?

HOCKNEY: 17 years old.

GLASS (voice-over): Hockney's gaze was intense from the beginning. Always a superlative draftsman, art critics compared him to his hero, Picasso. At

the Royal College of Art in London in the early 60s, he celebrated his homosexuality heroically so. Sex between men remained an offense in England

until the law changed in 1967. The work was teasing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was the reaction to them at the time?

HOCKNEY: I think they thought they were naughty. I came to California in 1964 when nobody knew me and I preferred that. Swimming pools I always

loved. I mean all the wiggly lines they make. If you photograph them, it freezes them. Whereas if you use paint, you can have wiggly lines of

wiggle.

GLASS (voice-over): The other most memorable paintings from the late 60s onwards were the double portraits, carefully distilled images of his

parents and his friends. Hockney was rare among modern artists, recognized internationally with landmark exhibitions twice in and 1988 and 2017.

Hockney never stopped exploring his art and visual media, polaroids, photo collage, facts, and video. And from 2010, he started making art with an

iPad. In one of his last great cycles of work, he painted the landscape of his native Yorkshire.

Hockney was always a defiant smoker. Knew it would probably shorten his life.

[14:50:09]

HOCKNEY: 65years ago I began smoking actually. It's 65 years in in this book. I keep looking through it and I think, well, I've not done so bad in

my life. Every day I've done what I want to do and I could say that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a privilege.

HOCKNEY: Yes, I know it's a privilege. I know I'm privileged, but I've always known I was privileged.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: I want to recap our breaking news this hour. Pakistan's prime minister says he can confirm that a final agreed-upon text of a peace deal

has been reached between the U.S. and Iran. A Trump administration official says under the terms of the proposed deal, the Strait of Hormuz would

reopen, and the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports would be lifted. Iran would dismantle its nuclear program and the sanctions on Iran would be gradually

lifted if Tehran complies with the deal.

Iranian state media report Iran is not willing to give up control of the Strait of Hormuz and the agreement needed to include the release of

billions in frozen Iranian funds.

Now, a group of Jeffrey Epstein survivors is speaking out against President Trump's latest pick for America's top enforcement officer. In a new

statement obtained by CNN, more than a dozen women respond to the nomination of Todd Blanche as U.S. Attorney General. They say they are

deeply disturbed by a New York Times report that senior administration officials, including Blanche, participated in secret White House meetings

on how to manage political fallout from the Epstein files.

A Thai princess is dead after spending nearly four years in a coma. Princess Pa, as she was known, was the eldest child of Thailand's king. The

47-year-old had been in hospital since December after suddenly losing consciousness due to a heart condition. She had multiple health conditions.

Princess Pa studied law at Cornell University in the U.S. and worked as a lawyer. She'll be remembered for her charity efforts to improve the lives

of female prisoners and her diplomatic career.

[14:55:07]

It's being called the Swiss Brexit. Voters in Switzerland will decide on Sunday whether to limit the country's population growth. They will vote on

a proposal to cap the population at million people. Switzerland's population stood at 9.1 million at the end of last year. While businesses

warn the measure could restrict access to skilled labor and strain relations with the European Union's its biggest export market.

And finally, tonight, Germany is heavily favored in Sunday's World Cup match against Curacao. And Germany has one more reason to feel confident.

Take a listen.

Tarak the elephant chose Germany to win the match by stepping on a football with Germany's team colors. Tarak lives at the Cologne Zoo. Ah, surprise,

surprise there. Zookeepers gave him two balls decorated in the national colors and Tarak went straight for Germany's ball, bursting it with a bang.

Well, I'm not entirely sure Tarak is entirely independent there, but anyway, less said about that the better. Thank you for watching us. Stay

with CNN. What we know is coming up in this next hour.

END