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Isa Soares Tonight

Dead Drama Of The U.S. Supreme Court As The Justices Reject Donald Trump's Efforts To End Birthright Citizenship; Anger Builds And Hope Fades In Venezuela After Last Week's Devastating Twin Earthquakes; Apparent Assassination Attempt In The City State Of Monaco Leaves Residents Reeling; Supreme Court Decision Puts Haitian Immigrants On Edge; South Africa Protests For Undocumented Migrants To Leave; Parts Of Eastern U.S. Set For Hottest Days In More Than A Decade As Heat Dome Expands. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired June 30, 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]

MAX FOSTER, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Max Foster in for Isa Soares. Tonight, a dead drama of the

U.S. Supreme Court as the Justices reject Donald Trump's efforts to end birthright citizenship. Then anger builds and hope fades in Venezuela after

last week's devastating twin earthquakes.

We're live in Caracas with Isa, with more on the ongoing rescue efforts. Plus, an apparent assassination attempt in the city state of Monaco,

leaving residents reeling. That, and much more ahead. Well, just hours ago, the U.S. Supreme Court concluded its term with a trio of blockbuster

rulings in perhaps the most eagerly-anticipated ruling of the term.

The Justices upheld the 14th Amendment on birthright citizenship. A majority ruled nearly everyone born in the United States with some small

exceptions, are U.S. citizens, whether their parents are citizens or not.

They overturned President Trump's executive order, which sought to end birthright citizenship. Court watchers were a bit surprised that three

conservatives on the Supreme Court dissented from the majority, in what many considered a clear constitutional right.

The court did give a big win, though, to Mr. Trump and Republicans, ruling there are no limits on how much political parties can spend in support of

individual political candidates. Their decision comes in an election year where the Republican Party has vastly more cash on hand than the Democratic

National Committee.

And conservatives are also celebrating the court's decision to allow states to ban transgender students from playing on girls' sports teams. Twenty-

nine states have enacted laws that say an athlete's sex at birth is what determines if they can play women's sports.

To help us sort through what all of those rulings mean, we welcome in Brown University Political Science Professor Corey Brettschneider, and host of

"The Oath and the Office" podcast. Thank you so much for joining us, Brett.

First, on the birthright citizenship, I say -- some commentators were surprised, presumably, or one of them, because the constitution seems very

clear on this.

COREY BRETTSCHNEIDER, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, BROWN UNIVERSITY: Absolutely. You know, you can read it for yourself. The 14th Amendment

after the civil war enshrined the idea both of equal protection and then a firm rule when it came to the question of who a citizen is.

And what it says is, if you're born in the United States, then you are a citizen, full stop. Now, there is a phrase subject to the jurisdiction that

had always been understood, and the majority affirms this, to have just very few exceptions to those who are not subject to the jurisdiction.

So, for instance, the children of ambassadors are not citizens because their parents have immunity. So, you know, it couldn't be clearer. Now, the

only question was, it was obvious the Supreme Court had to say this because anything else would have been embarrassing.

The only question is what the vote would have been. And you do have a dissent here by three justices, and you have a majority opinion that's very

solid and firm. You do have one surprise too, which is that Justice Kavanaugh says, well, it is, illegal, the executive order.

It's not authorized by law, not because it violates the constitution, but because it violates a federal statute or federal law. But the bottom line

is the Supreme Court did the right thing as many commentators are saying. You reported this in the beginning.

You know, those who are really in the know about constitutional law are a little shocked that it wasn't a unanimous or a 7-2 decision. But aside from

that, we still do have a strong majority opinion, an amazing concurrence by Justice Jackson, who really lays out the ideas here.

FOSTER: And what this does is -- has a direct impact on many millions of people who thought they may lose their citizenship, right?

[14:05:00]

BRETTSCHNEIDER: Yes, and I -- you know, I have to say something on their behalf, which is that, you know, the Supreme Court shouldn't have taken so

long to decide something that's so obvious. We had on "The Oath and the Office" podcast, which you mentioned in your introduction, Cecilia Wang,

who argued the birthright citizenship case.

And we just went through very carefully each of her points and each of the counter objections. And as you look and study the issue, you know, in the

half-hour, you can see this isn't a hard case. And so, the fact that they waited, I think, is really a travesty for those who were potentially going

to be subject to this illegal revocation of citizenship.

FOSTER: And can we talk about the transgender rights here, the ban on transgender students from playing on girls' sports teams. So, this was, in

effect, supporting what some states had done in terms of a ban, right? So, it's seen as a win for the Trump administration.

But it doesn't necessarily mean yet that there is -- that this is a nationwide policy because that effectively just supporting the states that

have decided to do this. So, it does depend on where you are in the U.S.

BRETTSCHNEIDER: That's right, and we have another opinion that flies in the face of what the court did today called Bostock. And in that case, which is

a related issue, the question is whether or not the protections that are afforded on the basis of quote-unquote, "sex" in the 1964 Civil Rights Act,

do those protections extend to transgender people?

And the court in the Bostock case with Justice Gorsuch writing for the majority of the court, said, yes, there's no question that discrimination

against transgender people is a form of discrimination based on sex. Now, it looks like things are cutting the other way here.

But as you say, there's also an issue of federalism and state's rights, and the federal government's power as opposed to the state power. So, this is

far from a decided issue that there's no consensus on it, and in fact, the law in some ways, I think is at odds with itself.

FOSTER: OK, Corey Brettschneider, appreciate your analysis on that huge day at the Supreme Court. Thank you. Now, astounding scenes of resilience and

survival coming out of Venezuela.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Jordanian rescuers saving this three-year-old boy from the debris six days after its most powerful earthquakes in more than a century. And

another incredible rescue. This is the moment a 12-year-old boy was pulled from under the rubble late on Monday.

But these moments of joy are scarce, and they're getting rarer, days in some areas haven't even been reached. Those on the ground are furious at

what they say is a lack of government response, especially when it comes to much needed heavy-lifting materials and years of underfunded hospitals.

More than 1,900 people were killed in the quakes, tens of thousands more are still missing. Let's cross to Isa, who is in Caracas. I mean, what have

you seen, Isa?

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: Max, as I was speaking to you earlier on this morning here, I was telling you that I had gone to one of

the hardest-hit areas in Venezuela. And there's La Guaira. And it really is as far as the eye can see, Max. It is apocalyptic.

It's house after house, apartment block after apartment block completely collapsed. And people doing what they have been doing throughout here in

Venezuela is a sense of community getting together with their bare hands, digging through the rubble.

That's what I saw today in La Guaira. Parents, a father knows that the chance of his two daughters being alive are very low. Yet, he's there day

and night with rickety shovels, trying to -- trying to rescue them. It's a similar picture that I saw in Caracas, as people wait for however long it

takes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES (on camera): So, this is roughly the plan of this eight-story building here in Caracas. They've broken it down into floors to get a sense

of who lived and what floors. It tells you how many people have died, 12 people, how many people have rescued three so far, 20 approximately

families. People still missing here from this eight-story building in Caracas.

(Voice-over): But over the last two days, no one has been found alive. Still, the rescue operations continue, and families wait for however long

it takes.

MIRELLA HERRERA, RELATIVES MISSING AFTER EARTHQUAKE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

[14:10:00]

SOARES: It has been an agonizing wait for Mirella Herrera, who has been here every day longing for signs of life, waiting for her son, her

daughter-in-law and her granddaughters, both in their 20s.

HERRERA: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

SOARES: There's also fury from those who say that Venezuela was not prepared for a tragedy of this magnitude. It's certainly the case at the

main pediatric hospital in Caracas. Right now, they're treating a 12-year- old girl for multiple and life-threatening injuries.

(On camera): (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(Voice-over): Her little body in excruciating pain as she was crushed by the weight of the collapsed floors.

HUNIADES URBINA-MEDINA, INTENSIVE CARE PEDIATRICIAN: We could receive at least ten patients here in this area, but since at least, ten years ago, we

don't have enough personnel, we don't have enough medicines, we don't have enough mechanic ventilators. So, we only can work with four patients here

in this area.

SOARES: More than 100 children have ended up here following last Wednesday's back-to-back earthquake. Tells me Dr. Huniades Urbina-Medina,

who has been a pediatrician for 20 years.

(On camera): You're not prepared. Venezuela's hospitals are not prepared.

URBINA-MEDINA: Are not prepared --

SOARES: Never been prepared --

URBINA-MEDINA: Any hospital, and no hospital in Venezuela is prepared for the day-by-day. But with this catastrophe, it's worse because we don't have

enough in the medicament -- medicines, equipment personnel.

SOARES (voice-over): The tragic consequence of years of crisis and mismanagement now coming to the fore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: And this not being prepared, Max, is something I've heard time and time again. Being in hospitals, be it in La Guaira and the epicenter today,

I can tell you and I can show viewers as well in a report later on tonight, I saw machinery after machinery just sitting idle.

When I asked one of the men sitting in that machinery, why aren't you running this heavy machinery that is needed as people try to dig with their

own hands for their children? The guy turned around to me and said, we have no fuel, we have no petrol. Just comprehend that.

The country with the world's largest reserves unable to fuel the tanks to move these diggers, and imagine the desperation and the frustration from so

many parents who are not seeing the right response from the government, and so are taking matters into their very own hands. Max.

FOSTER: Isa, I'm seeing the tents behind you. These displaced people, I mean, what are we seeing there?

SOARES: Yes, this is tent city. There's quite a few. There's two in Caracas, Max. There's another one, a stadium in La Guaira, the epicenter.

But these are people who not only have seen their homes entirely collapsed, but worth reminding viewers that some of the homes here in Caracas, some of

them have not been fully collapsed, but they have huge cracks, significant cracks.

And given the aftershocks we have been seeing as early as if you remember as yesterday, people are scared, as you can imagine, to go back to their

homes, given the weakened structure of their property.

So, people are not risking, not risking their lives, their families' lives, and they're sitting here -- staying here. You are seeing behind me lots of

children, pets, and you have a lot of volunteers, even people dressed as clowns trying to entertain people. But government response so far has been

zero.

FOSTER: Isa, thank you, and for bringing us that sort of very raw image of what it's really like to be on the ground. Thank you. Now, efforts to

broker a lasting peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran inching along in Qatar, we're told.

Delegations from both sides are gathering in Doha. But for now, there are no high-level direct talks. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared

Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff are expected to meet today with Qatar's Prime Minister.

Iran's Foreign Ministry says Iran will hold its own talks with Qatar tomorrow. It says they'll focus on implementing provisions of the

Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S., including the release of Iran's frozen assets.

Qatar says low level technical talks between the U.S. and Iran, though, are continuing. We're joined now by our international diplomatic editor, Nic

Robertson. What are your sources saying, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, low-level technical meetings, which is interesting, given that Jared Kushner, Steve

Witkoff, who we've already always sort of seen as being part of the leadership package, the high-level part of the talks, teams that have been

involved all the way through this process.

[14:15:00]

So, the fact that they're not going to meet with the Iranians, I think gives us an indication of the difficulties that lie ahead even at the

technical talk level, the way that the system is designed to operate. You have the technical talks, which the Qataris said are going on.

There are technical teams coming and going. They indicated from Qatar and from other locations. So, those meetings, they say are happening. But

that's when you bring in the high-level figures. Clearly, it would appear at least, that whatever has been achieved at the technical level, it's not

-- it's not enough to get the leadership figures face-to-face.

And as you say, the Iranians have said that they're coming in, and one of the issues that they want to look at is their frozen assets. And again,

just to sort of take a small detour into the frozen assets, if you remember, about a week or so ago, J.D. Vance speaking in Switzerland, the

U.S. Vice President said, yes, Qatar has the frozen assets.

They will have to give a green light if Iran is going to get them and we, the United States will also have to give a green light before the money can

be released. And that money, he said, will be spent on U.S. agricultural products, which will then go to the Iranian people.

The Iranians pushed back on that concept. So, even on this issue of frozen assets, that's key to getting into other areas of talks. There is

disagreement about how it's supposed to be done. The two sides, when Iran is coming to Doha to talk about this issue, the two sides are not, as far

as we can tell, going to meet face-to-face and talk about it.

So, the clock is running down quite quickly it seems, with not a lot of products towards the 60 days of dealing with all the points in the

Memorandum of Understanding. Max.

FOSTER: OK, Nic Robertson, thank you. Still to come tonight, a manhunt underway after a bomb goes off in Monaco. I will tell you who officials

believe was the intended target.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: An apparent attempted assassination has shocked the city state of Monaco. According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, three people of a

family of Ukrainian origin were wounded when a parcel bomb went off in a residential building.

The intended target is reportedly a Ukrainian tycoon who renounced his citizenship. As Melissa Bell explains, a manhunt for a suspect is now

underway.

[14:20:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): A manhunt is underway here in France and in Monaco after a bomb went off on Monday

night in the city state not known for its violent crime and normally a haven of peace. What we understand, even as that manhunt continues, is that

Vadim Ermolaev has been named by Ukrainian authorities as being one of the victims of this bomb blast.

He's a 58-year-old Ukrainian who renounced his Ukrainian citizenship back in 2019. He explained himself for tax reasons. He's now a citizen of Cyprus

and was living with his family in Monaco. Nothing for now from authorities on why he may have been the target of this assassination attempt.

What we do know is that he was sanctioned by Kyiv back in 2023 over allegations that he had done business in Russian-occupied Crimea, an

allegation that he denied. We also know that he has a son who was convicted of fraud in Estonia, but left the country after doing a few months of jail

time there.

So, some elements emerging about this particular family, that of 58-year- old Vadim Ermolaev, but very little more from authorities who are staying very tight-lipped for now about what the motive may have been. Melissa

Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, Ukrainian officials say they've hit one of Russia's satellite largest communications centers for the second time in a week. As CNN's

Clare Sebastian now reports, Kyiv has been ramping up the pressure on the Kremlin and these successful attacks are giving hope to Ukrainians.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Four hundred and nineteen Ukrainian drones were destroyed or averted overnight into Tuesday,

according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. More than 60 of those targeting Moscow, the mayor said.

Ukrainian drone attacks on this scale are now a core part of its strategy to end this war where frontline gains are slow and grinding. Last week,

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a 40-day campaign using medium and long-range strikes to try to, quote, "compel Russia to stop

fighting".

Zelenskyy claimed Tuesday that Ukraine had hit a major satellite communications hub used partly for the Russian military in Dubna, in north

of Moscow. The second hit, he said on that facility in ten days. And the fourth recent strike targeting satellite communications facilities.

And Russia has not confirmed that hit on Tuesday. Well, separately, the governor of the Moscow region said a six-month-old baby died on the way to

hospital after a drone crashed into a residential house south of Moscow on Tuesday.

The Kremlin spokesman calling this an example of the, quote, "criminal actions of the Kyiv regime." Well, Russia facing widespread fuel shortages

as a result of Ukrainian attacks on its refineries. It's also not letting up with its attacks. Look at this dash-cam video purportedly capturing a

day-time drone attack on Zaporizhzhia that shattered the car window as you can see.

The driver, though, keeps on going through the blast. Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Still to come tonight, Cuba's Foreign Minister gives an update on talks with the U.S. A live report from Havana for you, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:25:00]

FOSTER: Talks between Havana and Washington have stalled with no progress. That is the word from Cuba's Foreign Minister. Havana's top diplomat said

today, U.S. sanctions were causing deaths in the island nation.

An oil blockade has left Cubans facing power outages and food shortages. The island faces continued pressure by the Trump administration, including

threats of military action. CNN en espanol anchor Juan Carlos Lopez has spoken to the Cuban Foreign Minister. Haven't you, Juan? And this is a rare

get.

JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN EN ESPANOL ANCHOR: Yes, there was an announcement that Cuba will take the issue up to the General Assembly at the U.N. on

Tuesday, July 7th, and they believe that international pressure will help at least advance this issue.

They've signaled. They said the U.S., especially the State Department, has not advanced in negotiating with Cuba. But he says that they still maintain

a steady contact, that they are fulfilling their obligations.

But he talked about the risk of a military action, which he said they take very seriously the words of Donald Trump, who said that after he was done

with Iran, Cuba would be next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNO RODRIGUEZ PARRILLA, FOREIGN MINISTER, CUBA (through translator): Cuba can't be a threat to the national security of the United States. Everyone

knows this. What is a threat to regional and even international peace, stability and security is the behavior of the United States government, in

this case against Cuba.

Because a military aggression against Cuba would have to be met with the full force of our state and our people. It would be a bloodbath, thousands

upon thousands of Cubans would die, and young Americans would die as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LOPEZ: And now, Max, Cuba is living through a very difficult time. There are blackouts that could last 22-23 hours a day. There is a lot of

difficulty in communications, and what the Foreign Minister said is that the U.S. is taking genocidal actions against the island.

They believe that diplomatic pressure might help, but they're willing to advance the negotiations with the U.S., but he says -- he accused Secretary

of State Marco Rubio openly of lying and of being deceitful and of not fulfilling his word.

FOSTER: OK, Juan Carlos Lopez in Havana, appreciate it. Thank you so much for bringing us that. Many Haitians living in the U.S. are looking for

other legal immigration pathways currently to stay in that country. This after the Supreme Court ruled last week that the Trump administration could

remove their temporary protected status.

Springfield, Ohio is home to more than 10,000 Haitians. CNN's Omar Jimenez spoke with some affected immigrants there who are now fearful about their

futures.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I've been here multiple times over the past two years, and each time, during a period of fear or

uncertainty for the Haitian population here, and we're getting ready to meet with a man I first met a little bit more than a year ago.

He's had a steady job throughout all of this, but is now among the many trying to figure out what he's going to do next. Daniel, how is it going?

DANIEL AULA, HAITIAN IMMIGRANT LIVING IN SPRINGFIELD, OHIO: Hey, Omar, how are you doing?

JIMENEZ: Yes, doing, OK?

AULA: Not too bad.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Daniel Aula came to the U.S. from Haiti in 2022, running from what he says was a serious threat on his life. He had to leave

behind his wife and daughter.

AULA: I have to protect my life, to save a life -- to stay alive, to take care of my family.

JIMENEZ: Since he's been in Springfield, he's worked steadily at a local metalworks manufacturer, building a life he fears he could soon lose. Are

you scared right now?

DANIEL AULA, HAITIAN IMMIGRANT LIVING IN SPRINGFIELD, OHIO: Very. I'm afraid they take me and go back in Haiti with me by force.

[14:30:14]

JIMENEZ (voice-over): He's not alone either. Viles Dorsainvil is the executive director of the local Haitian Support Center.

VILES DORSAINVIL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HAITIAN COMMUNITY HELP AND SUPPORT CENTER: Haitian Support Center.

JIMENEZ: We've just been trying to talk to him for a few minutes and he's getting calls.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): He's helping manage the immigration paperwork for their attorneys.

JIMENEZ: What are you telling people who are calling in?

DORSAINVIL: We tell them that if they have children, choose a trustworthy person and give that person our attorney in case something happens to them.

JIMENEZ: A lot of the Haitian population here came pretty suddenly over the last five years through a combination of immigration programs, but among

them, temporary protected status, along with just word of mouth from other U.S. communities. But as you might imagine, not everyone is happy about

their presence here.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): But economically, the city and Republican Governor Mike DeWine have pointed to the influx as one of the reasons the area has

seen an economic revitalization. Since the Supreme Court decision, Dorsainvil says some people have been calling in to the community centers,

taking a victory lap.

JIMENEZ: Are you nervous at all about what comes next here in Springfield?

DORSAINVIL: Basically, yes, because there is so much at stake.

JIMENEZ: So, people are calling the community centers saying it's time for you to leave?

DORSAINVIL: To leave. And they are not saying that in that beautiful words that you are using now. So, they are using N-words to tell us to leave.

JIMENEZ: Are you afraid if you're sent back that you would be killed?

AULA: Very afraid. If Haiti will be safe, it will be a good pleasure to go back on my country.

JIMENEZ: Yes. But right now, that's just not possible?

AULA: No. Right now, no.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, that was Omar there in Springfield. Now, thousands of protesters took to the streets nationwide in South Africa, demanding all

undocumented migrants leave that country. Anti-migrant groups set today as a deadline for that to happen. Some businesses were closed and police were

deployed in case the protest turned violent. CNN' Larry Madowo has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is what it looks like when South Africans march against illegal migration. Across the country today, this is

the deadline they had set for undocumented migrants to leave the country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our world is something else. It does not belong to South Africans anymore. So, that is why we are saying this is the end of

it. We are tired. Yes.

MADOWO: There's people who criticize these protests as being xenophobic. What do you -- how do you respond to that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because of this march is a peaceful march. So, I am not taking it as being xenophobic. We cannot be xenophobic when we are

asking people to go back to their countries. Because we just want to have our time as South Africans. We want to deal with our world and want to deal

with everything that is happening here.

MADOWO: This march has developed to a few thousand people now. What's happened is there's been a few sporadic marches popping up across

Johannesburg and other parts of the country. Some of them unaffiliated with the official organizers of this June 30 deadline.

Why are you marching today?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why marching?

MADOWO: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want to work. They must go. There's corruption. They are selling drugs.

MADOWO: The marches here in Johannesburg have been largely peaceful. But we did see some incidents of people throwing glasses at some buildings as they

drove past. Police did a good job of largely keeping them from doing more damage. And that's been the tension between their constitutional rights to

pickets and those who fear that it's more than picketing. It could degenerate into crime.

Larry Madowo, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Still to come tonight, a familiar face joins Isa's book club. Our Vatican correspondent, Christopher Lamb, explains how he wrote "American

Hope" about Pope Leo so quickly.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Joining us on today's book club is a very well-known face here at CNN. And that is our Vatican correspondent, Christopher Lamb, with this

book, "American Hope." Christopher, welcome to the show.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT AND AUTHOR, "AMERICAN HOPE": Thank you very much, Isa.

SOARES: It's such a treat to have you here because you and I were in Rome together when Pope Francis passed away. And I couldn't believe when this

book landed on my desk how quickly, first of all, you wrote it. I suppose the question is, first, how long it took you to write this? And secondly,

why you thought, Chris, that it was important to write it now, given that we haven't had much time to actually get to know the new pope?

LAMB: Well, I think it's a very good question. But whenever there's a new pope, there's obviously a flurry of books. And I think you do need to

strike while the iron's hot. And there's sort of two waves. The first wave is the kind of the first instant biographies of the pope. But mine is not a

biography, it's actually an analysis of Leo XIV's papacy.

And I wrote it within really the first few months of his election and trying to draw on the initial impressions, but also the background

reporting I have of the Vatican and how that applies to his pontificate. So, it isn't just a straight biography, it is very much trying to

understand the significance of the first American pope.

SOARES: Let's talk about that significance, because I remember, I'm not sure if you remember this, you and I were having an espresso in a cafe in

Rome, leading up, of course, to the conclave. And I was trying to find out from you who you thought could be the next pope, you know, what your

sources were saying. And at the time, there were whispers of an American pope, but I don't remember him being one of those. Were you surprised that

he was elected, that he was picked?

LAMB: Well, you know, I do remember our discussion. And I think, you know, the possibility of an American pope obviously has been put forward in the

past. But because of the accepted wisdom that, you know, the cardinals would not choose a pope from the United States because of the position of

the U.S. and the world, and, you know, the idea that the cardinals wouldn't want to unite the papacy with the dominant world power.

But in terms of Cardinal Prevost, Pope Leo, as a candidate, I mean, I think he was one of those who was being considered because, yes, he's American,

but he's also someone who had a lot of experience in Latin America. And so, therefore, he was seen as kind of a bit different from the other American

cardinals.

SOARES: You call him an un-American American.

LAMB: Yes, that's right. And I think that's what the cardinals saw in him, a citizen of the world. But, you know, an un-American American, but also a

quintessential American, because he has background, which is very diverse, Spanish, Italian, French, also Creole roots as well.

SOARES: He is the voice of clarity and morality that the world needs right now, especially when you see the president of the United States, Chris,

posting A.I. images of himself as Jesus and then saying that he should be pope.

[14:40:00]

When those images and those comments come out from the president of the United States, how is that received?

LAMB: Well, I think the Vatican is probably quite surprised and amazed that this was being said and those images were being shared. Obviously, I think

one of them was deleted soon after. But yes, I think the Vatican, I think, you know, not quite sure what to say because they're unused to this and

they're used to doing diplomacy behind closed doors. So, it is uncharted territory for the Vatican.

I think, though, the Vatican's probably more concerned sometimes about the criticism coming from people like JD Vance, who is, of course, a Catholic,

particularly when JD Vance talks about just war theory, which is a more theological term. And the Vatican feels more of a need to respond to that

than perhaps the posts on Truth Social that, you know, is sometimes harder to follow. I think the Vatican is more concerned about the use of

Catholicism and Christianity for a political agenda. And that's where they feel they've got to respond more.

SOARES: Let's talk then about your trips, because often we see you on papal planes. I found out it's called Shepherd One. It's a great name for it.

What is that like at a personal level?

LAMB: Well, it's kind of a unique experience. And it's basically a mixture of being on like a school trip with the Pope and trying to cover a massive

story. And so, those of you who don't know about this, traveling on the papal plane, the journalists, you know, sit at the back in economy. The

Pope sits up at the front. And then when the plane or Shepherd One takes off, the Pope comes to the back to greet the journalists.

SOARES: Speak to the commoners.

LAMB: Yes, exactly. But he continued -- Leo continues, what's something that Francis started, which was to meet each reporter individually. And so,

on the recent trip to Africa, that became a big thing because it was just a few hours after President Trump's attacks. And so, the Pope responded to

questions at the back of the plane. And so, you know, the story continued.

SOARES: What can you tell from, as if we look ahead, what kind of Pope he will be? Do you have a sense of whether he will -- are you starting to see

the continuation of Pope Francis through this Pope, of course, for Pope Leo? And what should we be looking out for in terms of reforms?

Because this is something -- I remember Pope Francis, you and I spoke about reforms for quite a bit, but are you already starting to see that with this

Pope? Continuation of that?

LAMB: I think we are going to see, and we are seeing the continuation of the Francis reforms, particularly things like the role of women in the

church. I think that's something that's going to be a top priority for Leo or something he needs to address at least. And I think this Pope has taken

things more slowly than Francis. I mean, the first year, a lot of it's been listening and working out who he can trust in the Vatican and who he should

appoint to the senior positions.

And he is unafraid to kind of remain, you know, undecided and to have a bit of a poker face about what he's going to do. I think people in the Vatican

are kind of waiting and wondering to see what he'll do. So, he is playing a longer game, but I think step by step, the reforms he'll bring in will be

significant.

And I think also he wants to be, as Pope, I think he wants to be a figure of stability amidst the chaos. That's also important to him. I think we're

seeing that increasingly.

SOARES: We certainly need it, that's for sure. Chris, thank you very much. Really, really fascinating. I'm going to pass you the book and the pen.

There you go.

LAMB: Thank you.

SOARES: It's very awkward. There you go.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Coming up soon on Easter's Book Club, Irish novelist Colm Toibin joins with "The News from Dublin," a collection of short stories delving

into themes of love, loss, loneliness and grief. Colm tells Isa what he finds so powerful about short stories.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLM TOIBIN, AUTHOR, "THE NEWS FROM DUBLIN": You can get a glimpse of some moment in which something hinges, in which something changed, almost like

before rain, the air changes, something as delicate as that. You just can see, oh, I think it's going to rain. But in a story, you think that is the

moment when someone realizes something they didn't know before, or when they made a decision not to do something that they might have done.

And you can almost see their whole life in a second, in a turn. And it's delicate. It's a delicate process. You could ruin it by over-explaining it

or by over-dramatizing it. It might look like nothing, but the reader realizes in the end, that was the moment when everything became apparent

even.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:50:00]

FOSTER: Still to come tonight, a check on World Cup action, plus an unexpected return to Wimbledon as seven-time singles champion Serena

Williams back on Centre Court, currently, we'll give you the score.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: The hottest temperatures in more than a decade could soon roast parts of the eastern U.S. A heat dome over the central and southern U.S. is

expanding. And it'll impact cities like New York and Washington ahead of the 4th of July weekend. Some areas will see days of temperatures at or

above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and that's a scorching 38 degrees Celsius. And it doesn't stop there either. Intense humidity with no breeze could

make those days feel even hotter.

Now, the heat dome will likely affect World Cup matches, especially the Argentina-Cape Verde game. That is set for Miami on Friday. That heat could

affect today's World Cup matches as well. That's not slowing down the game going on right now though. Norway are now up 2-1 in Texas against the Ivory

Coast. Later, France amongst the tournament's favorites face Sweden in New Jersey. And tonight, Mexico will play Ecuador in Mexico City.

The celebrations continue today in Paraguay. The country's president declared Tuesday a national holiday. It comes after yesterday's stunning

win over Germany.

CNN World Sport's Coy Wire joins me now from San Jose. And you've been behind the scenes with the U.S. players, I gather.

COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, this is where they're practicing behind me, Max. You know, the story is no longer can America get out of the group. The

story is now can this become the summer America fell in love with its team? It's a big emotional narrative. Their final practice underway right now.

I did talk to a few of the players ahead of it. They are fully aware of the magnitude of this moment, Max. They said they know this isn't just survive

in advance for the US. It's more like inspire in advance. They're embracing how America has rallied around them. And they know just how tough this

match with Bosnia and Herzegovina will be. Here's what some of them had to say about this matchup. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGINO DEST, UNITED STATES DEFENDER: It's a knockout round. And if you want to win this trophy, the World Cup, you've got to beat everyone, you

know, and be able to beat everyone. So, if it's from Europe or Africa, it doesn't matter, we just we just want to win.

FOLARIN BALOGUN, UNITED STATES FORWARD: We're going to need to be creative. We know we're going to need to be intense like we have been, you know, so

far and, you know, there's no doubts we can go out there and win.

[14:50:00]

GIO REYNA, UNITED STATES MIDFIELDER: You have very high expectations for ourselves for the rest of this tournament. And yes, we don't want this to

be over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Now, the U.S. has not beaten a European opponent since 2021, Max. It's been 12 matches since they beat. Guess who was the last team? Bosnia

and Herzegovina. And that was in a friendly.

Now, Max mentioned the wild trio of knockout matches we saw yesterday. Two of the three matches going to penalties, including Morocco and the

Netherlands, a matchup that could have easily been a semifinal type of match. The sixth and seventh ranked teams in the world. The team's missing

five of the 10 kicks, but Morocco pulling out the win, sending the Netherlands home.

And Max mentioned Paraguay had a shocking upset win over Germany. Jose Canale making the decisive penalty kick to send Paraguay into the round of

16. Fourth biggest knockout upset in tournament history. And check out those scenes again back in Paraguay. They were ranked 41st in the world at

the time. Germany, the four-time World Cup champs were ranked 10th, but Paraguay ended Germany's 50-year shootout win streak. The nation's

president declaring it a national holiday with the tournament expanding to 48 teams this year.

Max, the first ever 32 team knockout round is already delivering. Every game from here on in is win or go home. No tomorrow, no second chances. The

margin for error has completely disappeared.

FOSTER: Leaving Germany on a shootout. Absolutely incredible. I totally get why they're going crazy there. Thank you so much, Coy.

Now, seven-time Wimbledon singles champion Serena Williams playing again on Wimbledon's Centre Court as we speak. In a match getting underway, the 44-

year-old faces an opponent less than half her age, 20-year-old Maya Joint, in this first round.

Now, Williams will also compete in doubles with a 46-year-old sister, Venus. This week, she's watching the game playing currently.

Conor Niland is a former professional tennis player. He's author of the racket as well. He joins us from Dublin, Ireland. Thank you so much for

joining us. I mean, I'm watching the game in the corner of the studio. I mean, it's level, isn't it? Which, you know, a few years ago would have

been a shock, but she's doing incredibly well considering this break she's had.

CONOR NILAND, FORMER PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER AND AUTHOR, "THE RACKET": Solid start, Max. I'm watching it out of the corner from my eye as well

here. Two-all. Nobody quite knows what Serena is going to come out Serena doesn't know either, right? It's been four years since she's played at

Wimbledon. I think 2017 was her last title there. So, it's unknown territory.

And it was funny in the press conference a couple of days ago, she was asked, did she know anything about Maya Joint's game? And you could tell

she didn't, but she said, I'm pretty sure Maya knows my game. So, it's just an incredible dynamic. Such a bonus for the tournament. And she's holding

her own. Two-all so far.

It looks like the game plan for Joint is to make as many balls as possible. She's going kind of up the middle, keeping the rallies as long as possible,

because obviously we don't know, you know, obviously Serena doesn't have the match fitness and how kind of fit she is in terms of a best of three

set match with that kind of intensity out there. So, it's a compelling watch.

FOSTER: I mean, it's compelling, isn't it? When you consider Maya, you know, this 20-year-old who would have grown up watching, you know, the

biggest tennis star in the world, and now she's playing her, you know, the court is completely packed out with people. The whole world is watching a

very early round Wimbledon match.

It's not just down to skill for Maya, surely it's just this pressure, overwhelming pressure she must be facing. She's doing incredibly well to

stay level as well.

NILAND: Yes, it's a tough draw for Maya. I know Mirra Andreeva, who won Roland-Garros, was saying when she was watching the draw ceremony, she was

watching it through her hands because nobody wanted to play Serena. It's a really difficult match emotionally.

And Maya Joints is playing under the Australian flag, but she's actually born and raised in the U.S. Her dad was an Australian squash player who

moved to the U.S. and she declared for Australia. So, she will be oh so aware of Serena and her legacy and just the gravity of this match in terms

of the amount of eyeballs on the TV screens.

But yes, difficult for Serena too. So, it'll be really, I guess, interesting to see if Serena can win that first set. I think the crowd are

really very much behind Serena. Everyone wants this story to continue for at least another couple of days because it's fun. So, it'll be interesting

to see if this thing gets really, really tight in the second or third set, will the crowd have a big impact? So, there's lots of -- kind of lots

threads to this, which is fun.

[14:55:00]

FOSTER: I mean, you're a former player as well. Why has she come back, do you think? And what are the risks?

NILAND: Well, she put it as FOMO, essentially a couple of days ago, she said, not many players have, I guess, the privilege of, if I call up

Wimbledon and say I want a wildcard, I'm going to get one. At least within this window where she's 44, she's 45 in October, she pulls up looking for a

wildcard in four or five years, it's not going to be quite as plausible. So, she probably felt like this might be my last chance and let's see.

And also, she's had a great example in her sister Venus, who's a couple of years older, who has performed pretty well on the main tour the last year

or so. So, she knows her sister's been able to win matches at this level. And she thinks, well, hey, listen, let's see, can I make a third round

here?

I don't think she has expectations that she's going to go with her in a deep run, but maybe she can win a couple of rounds. And as I say, we have

our kids experience it too, maybe.

FOSTER: Yes. Well, it's Joint three and Williams two, but Williams is serving. So, they're level at the moment. Conor Niland, really appreciate

that. I'll let you carry on and watch the match. I'm sure you'd rather be watching that than being on here. So, thank you for your time.

Thank you everyone for watching tonight. Stay with CNN. I'll have "What We Know" coming up in the next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:00]

END