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One World with Zain Asher
First Named Storm Of 2024 Alberto Is Now A Tropical Depression; Protesters In Nairobi Protest Government Bill That Would Raise Taxes; Aid Delivery To Gaza Resumes; Putin Done With North Korea Visit, Proceeds To Hanoi; U.S. Supreme Court Issues Another Batch Of Decisions; Some 70,000 Fans Expected At The Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired June 20, 2024 - 12:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:00]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, the first named storm of 2024 Alberto is now a tropical depression ripping its way through central Mexico and its
effects are being felt as far away as Texas.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: ONE WORLD starts right now. From New Mexico to New Delhi. The effects of climate change are being felt across the
globe. We'll tell you a new climate report detailing how and why.
ASHER: And Kenyans take to the streets to protest tax hikes. We are live for you in the Capitol with the latest.
GOLODRYGA: And later, he changed the lives of hundreds of children in just 15 minutes. How one Internet celebrity is using his power for good. Al
right, hello everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. You are watching ONE WORLD.
GOLODRYGA: The wildfires that have charred the southwestern U.S. have now claimed two lives. The advice from emergency workers, get out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Residents west of Highway 48 from White Mountain to Highway 37 immediately evacuate to Capitan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right, this video was shot by Michael Scott trying to flee to the town of Alto, New Mexico. But it turns out he actually wasn't even safe
there either. Take a look at the smoke filling the skies here on this video shot by Alex Wright. Around 1400 structures have been lost.
About 8000 people have been evacuated due to the South Fork fire burning near the village of Reliso. You see the smoke there billowing in the
distance. One of the two dead was 60-year-old Patrick Pearson. His son, Zach, told us how Mr. Pearson tried in vain to escape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZACK PEARSON, SON OF PATRICK PEARSON: He was trying to get away from the fire as fast as he could, you know. But with a broken leg and a brace,
using a walker, trying to carry what you could, it's heartbreaking to know that he didn't make it, to know that he was trying to run for his life,
trying to get away from the fire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: It is heartbreaking seeing the images of that walker. Well, it's not fire, but rain that is pounding South Texas now. Tropical storm
Alberto roared ashore in Mexico Thursday morning. Many kilometers -- but many kilometers north, Corpus Christi, Texas, saw a storm surge of more
than a meter. It has since weakened to a tropical depression. Rosa Flores joins us now from Corpus Christi, Texas, with the latest. I see, Rosa,
behind you, still the remnants of that storm and flooding.
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, the water, Bianna, keeps on rising. I want to show you around because you'll really get an
appreciation. Every street here in North Beach that we've been driving on earlier today is now completely covered in water. You can see some grassy
area. Well, that's supposed to be the median in between two separate two- lane streets. And you can't see the streets anymore because the water has completely taken over.
You can see, if you take a look just down here on my boots, you can see that the water level right now is probably a few inches. But this was dry
at 5 A.M. in the morning when my team and I drove up. Where is this water coming from? Take a look over here.
This is the Corpus Christi Bay. Normally, it's a beautiful beach that families here come to enjoy. Well, now you can see that the bay has eaten
the streets. It has eaten the parking lots where these families would have been parking. And instead, it is all covered in water.
Now, I want us to look in this direction. It's a little difficult to see, but we just saw a rescue team roll down this street. And they had some
boats from here. It's very difficult to see, but I can see that there are some of the rescue team members outside of their vehicles.
I've contacted the city and also the Task Force 1 media team to see if we can find out more information. It's unclear what's happening right now, but
we can see that this team stopped in front of one of those homes.
[12:05:02]
And you can tell that this entire street is covered with water. I imagine that that area right in front of that home is also covered in water. And I
can tell you from being here since 5 A.M. this morning, the water keeps on rising slowly. And it's unclear exactly when it's going to stop. We know
that high tide is a little later today. And so, we'll have to see.
Last night, when I spoke to the city of Corpus Christi, they were counting their blessings. They said, look, we have no deaths. We have no injuries.
Yes, there's a little bit of damage, but no significant damage. But now we're going to try to find out what's going on because it's unclear. We
have not seen rescue teams in this area. This is the first time that we've seen them. So we're going to try to find out more information. Hopefully,
everybody is okay.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, hopefully, it will take days to clean up there. Rosa Flores, clearly a hit to the economy. Corpus Christi, one of the prettiest
areas for beaches in the state of Texas. Thanks so much.
Well, extreme weather across the U.S. More than 80 million people now are under heat alerts from the Midwest to the Northeast. And it's not just the
U.S. In Saudi Arabia, Muslims taking part in the Hajj are dealing with scorching temperatures. Dozens of people have already died from heat-
related causes there.
ASHER: It's no surprise that global warming is, of course, contributing to heat waves around the world. A new report from the Energy Institute says
that despite all of the warnings, fossil fuels use -- fossil fuels use, rather, and emissions jumped last year to hit a record high. That, in turn,
pushed up planet-heating carbon pollution. One climate scientist tells CNN this is really a sign of things to come.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL SWAIN, CLIMATE SCIENTIST, UCLA: Right now, it looks like certainly this summer is going to feature a lot more extreme and in some cases
record-breaking heat in different parts of the globe. But, you know, to be quite honest, what we're seeing now is a taste of what it's going to be
like all the time in just a decade or so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Wow. Real stark warning there. CNN meteorologist Elisa Raffa joins us now with a look at the scorching temperatures. Elisa, these
conversations are becoming far too normal. We've been having them every year, it appears, especially going into the summer months. Though June does
seem to be a bit early -- I recall last year it was the end of July, early August, and even early September. What does that tell us about what the
rest of the summer may look like?
ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I mean, with the heat starting so early in June, that's the sign and symptoms that we're talking about when it comes
to climate change. It makes that heat more extreme. It makes that heat last longer, more frequent. And that's why we're dealing with such extreme heat
so early in the season. When you look at the heat across the globe, you see the usual hot spots around the equator, which we typically do see,
especially today, actually, when we hit that astronomical start to summer in the northern hemisphere. And we've got a couple of heat domes that are
responsible for some of this heat as far as weather goes, but we know that climate is fueling this heat, again, to be more extreme and last longer.
One of the spots we've been watching some extreme heat temperatures in the '40s in New Delhi, parts of India. The problem here is that their monsoon
season is starting a little bit slow, so that's letting that extreme heat bake a little bit more before the rain and the relief comes in. Another
part of the world that you mentioned was the Middle East, where some of this heat has been deadly.
I mean, we're talking about some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded in this part of the world, with temperatures up at 50 degrees in Kuwait
City, Baghdad, also nearing 50 degrees, so just incredible. This is extreme heat. This is deadly heat.
And we know that this heat was made at least four to five times more likely because of climate change. You can see these deep reds across the Middle
East here where we're finding some of that deadly heat. We've also been talking about a lot of heat in Eastern Europe the last couple of weeks,
right? Athens had problems with tourists. That also, again, made more likely because of climate change.
In the U.S., we've been talking about heat this week. You can see some of these signals, as well. Maine broke temperature records, all-time records,
and that was made at least two to three times more likely. You can see there in the orange as we broke some of those records yesterday.
So, basically what's happening is we're warming our average temperatures. When you warm an average, right, that's normal. Well, if warm is going to
become normal, then what's hot going to be and what's really hot going to be?
So, you see that the extremes are just getting hotter and hotter because what used to be normal in the middle is now shifting to the hot side. So,
it just lets that extreme heat, again, be hotter, last longer, become more likely, and this is what we're looking forward to in the next couple of
decades if we don't cut back those emissions. Ladies?
GOLODRYGA: And obviously extremely deadly, as well as those temperatures continue to rise.
[12:10:01]
Elisa Raffa, thank you.
ASHER: I mean, it's hard to imagine the temperatures that we're experiencing. I mean, even here in New York where it's going to be almost
100 degrees today, that idea that that's going to be commonplace and normal every single summer. All right, large demonstrations erupting today on the
streets of Kenya's capital.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER (voice-over): Look at that. Protesters in Nairobi and across the country are demanding that the government scrap a bill that would
essentially raise taxes. You can actually see in this CNN footage demonstrators being tear-gassed by police.
Kenya's parliament has been sealed off as lawmakers debate their finance bill inside. The government has dropped some of the proposed new taxes,
including levies on cars and bread. But as the cost of living soars, many Kenyans say that's just not enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Larry Madowo is live for us in Nairobi. Larry, I really hope you've had time to recover. I was watching you speak with our Becky
Anderson a couple of hours ago, and you literally couldn't breathe, right? You were coughing because of the tear gas.
I hope that you've recovered. But it really does speak to just the tense environment that we're in right now, because a lot of people in Kenya are
suffering. They don't want these tax hikes. It is expensive enough as an ordinary Kenyan living there. Just walk us through what you're seeing now.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Zain. What you see back here is -- it's after 7 P.M., and the protesters are still fighting with
the police here. They're violently trying to break them down now using a lot of tear gas, because as we've come into the evening, there's a fire
that's been lit over there. They've been trying to take down some streetlights. It's become a lot more violent because the police have
managed to block them from accessing the National Assembly the whole day.
But as the evening has worn on, it's become a lot more tense, and they're being a lot more heavy-handed in making sure that they don't get any closer
to the National Assembly, also because the Kenya police has put out a statement this evening saying that they will not entertain any attempts to
occupy parliament or any other government buildings across the country, because we've seen these anti-taxation protests all across the country.
So, right now here, just hundreds of meters away from Kenya's parliament, you see that fire that's been lit there, all these officers with a water
cannon truck trying to make sure they don't make it to the National Assembly. But the men and the women back there are not getting pushed away.
They keep trying to breach this security cordon.
I want to speak to Kelvins Opere who's here with me, who's been protesting. Why are you out on the streets today?
KELVINS OPERE, PROTESTER: I'm out on the streets because the government has put on a lot of pressure and a lot of burden to us, the citizens, in
terms of collecting the taxes. Yes, we are not against the collection of taxes, but it should be in a way that the citizens feel some comfortability
in the collection.
And also, our MPs that we elected have been compromised by both the ruling party and the opposition party in terms of voting for the finance bill. So,
no one is out there to listen to us. So, we believe, as per our rights in the constitution, under the Bill of Human Rights, believe that by
picketing, the government might listen to us by putting on a lot of pressure on them. Also, I'm out on the streets because this finance bill
will compromise education, my university education, because I'm a criminal justice student.
MADOWO: You're a university student. How old are you?
OPERE: I'm 22. So, that's the thing here. Thank you so much, Kelvins. That's the thing about the profile of the protesters we've been seeing.
They're extremely young. Many of them are Gen Z, protesting for the first time. Some of them never even had a chance to vote. But they feel this is
their fight now.
President Ruto came into power promising that he understood them, and they feel he's betrayed them. That's why they've been out on the streets on
Tuesday, yesterday in Mombasa, other parts of the country, and today, after 7 P.M., still out on the streets fighting police to make sure their voices
are heard, Zain.
ASHER: You know, you and I, Larry, have talked a lot about protests in Kenya happening several times over the years, but I don't think I've ever
seen anything like this. And I'm not sure if you agree with me. It's interesting because I remember when President Ruto was elected, and he
talked about the fact that, you know, I'm just like you.
I'm for the common man. You know, I'm going to stand up for the rights of ordinary Kenyans. I'm the hustler-in-chief. Remember that line? I'm the
hustler-in-chief. But yet, when you look at the pictures behind you, these really shocking images, that's just not -- there is this sort of
disconnect, right, between the President, who obviously, I mean, Kenya is in a financial hole right now. We all know that. But what the pictures show
is there is a disconnect between the government and the young people in that country.
MADOWO: These people back here, Zain, feel that the hustler-in-chief betrayed them, and they have to take that power in their hands. President
Ruto has said that we need taxes, that's why he's proposing all these new taxes to move the country away from debt. The only way he can raise revenue
internally is by increasing taxes.
[12:15:01]
But the people there on the streets, lighting those fires feel that it's too expensive for them. If we're going to try and come down here for a
second, just to take a better look at this scene, the amount of hand- wringing we've seen in Kenya this past few weeks since the finance bill was proposed is something I've never seen before.
You rightly said this scene, the amount of hand-wringing we've seen in Kenya this past few weeks since the finance bill was proposed is something
I've never seen before. You rightly said I have covered protests in Kenya since 2007.I have never seen this level of anger, this level of
organization, and this level of conviction.
And I've never seen this many young people on the streets to make sure that the government listens to them. They say they're taking their power back
like the Constitution of Kenya gives them. The sovereignty belongs to the people, and this is the sound of Nairobi right now. Police trying to fight
back, protesters, and protesters staying put. I have never seen a scene like this in this city, Zain.
ASHER: I mean, it's certainly something you just don't see anywhere every day. But just especially in Kenya, I mean, people there do tend to sort of
stand up for their rights and sort of they want to be heard. But again, nothing like that -- nothing like what we're seeing behind you. Larry
Madowo, live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Take care of yourself.
ASHER: Yes, stay safe, Larry. Julians Amboko is the head of business and technology at Nation Media Startup. He joins us live now from Nairobi.
Julian, thank you so much for being with us. We understand that the government of William Ruto is strapped for cash right now.
And what he's saying to young people is, look, if you -- the only way we can sort of fill this financial hole that we're in, the only way that we
can stop relying on borrowing, the only way that we can sort of reduce or reduce the sort of financial burden that Kenyans are under right now just
in terms of the economy is through raising taxes. Just explain to us that based on that, how does all of this end?
JULIANS AMBOKO, HEAD OF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY, NATION MEDIA GROUP: So, the characteristic difference between what we have seen this year is that
the finance bill of 2024 widened its reach to indirect taxes. And when you reach out to direct taxes, money added tax, excise duty and the likes, what
you do is that you reach to the very bottom of the pyramid, the lowest of low-income earners to mop up revenue.
And, of course, that has triggered a lot of debate in the country. Granted, this came in the context of a very prolonged seventh review of Kenya's
program with the IMF. And one of the things that stood out in that program with the IMF is that Kenya has been failing to meet its revenue targets.
And clearly, the government is really under pressure from the British to ensure it rumps up its revenue collection because next year, the program
comes to an end, as in March 2025.
GOLODRYGA: Julians, did the administration, namely the President, miscalculate over his ambitious plan to see the economy grow? I think it
was 7.4 percent by 2027. GDP is rising at around -- growing at around six percent -- 6.5 percent right now. But this is through his bottom-up plan
that he has been touting, obviously not the results any administration would want to see with the types of protests and outrage on the streets of
the country. Is this a miscalculation on his part?
AMBOKO: I think it's a miscalculation to the extent that there hasn't been considerable appreciation of the global macro headwinds which have hit
economies, not just Kenya, but across the global south, whether it is people from Russia, Ukraine, and now we are seeing from the Middle East, as
well. And therefore, we have had a lot of challenges when it comes to elevated inflation, especially eroding the purchasing power of households.
And that has impressed many Kenyans.
If you look at statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics, real earnings have been declining for about four years straight. And that tells
you that the ordinary household is really hard-pressed. And therefore, whether you talk about GDP growing at six percent or not, as long as it's
not being felt in the pockets of the ordinary Kenyans, you are bound to have a lot of social pressure like we are witnessing right now in the
streets.
ASHER: Listen, ordinary Kenyans, of course they do want better public services, but again, many of them are questioning whether this is the right
way to go about it. For people who don't know, just explain to us what kind of financial burden these tax hikes would mean for ordinary Kenyans.
AMBOKO: So, right, the Finance Bureau of 2024 proposes a very drastic cleanup of what they call the value-added tax fast schedule, which
basically deals with the exempt items, items which are exempt from value- added tax, as well as those which are zero-rated, with a view to lowering the cost for the end consumer.
Now, when you have that sort of radical cleanup, and I should say, by the way, this is part of Kenya's commitment to the IMF program, what that does
is to create upward pressure in terms of the prices of basic goods and commodities.
One of the items which was banished, but has now been dropped, for the uproar from the public, was ordinary bread. And the government was saying,
look, we cannot continue sustaining this sort of tax incentive for the bread manufacturers because eventually they are passing the cost to the
consumers.
[12:20:05]
But Kenyans were like, look, we need a reprieve, even sort of macro- environmentally, dealing with the costs are elevated, life is tough, incomes are not growing, and that is where the government has found itself
in a very, very tight spot.
Because ordinary Kenyans are saying, look, costs are elevated, life is tough, incomes are not growing, and that is where the government has found
itself in a very, very tight spot. Because ordinary Kenyans are saying, look, you cannot be telling us to tighten our belts while the government is
experiencing a lot of excesses and the budget is growing every year.
ASHER: Kenya does have a national debt of about $80 billion, and Ruto has come out and said, listen, you know, this is not my fault. I inherited this
from previous administrations who went on a massive spending spree. I'm just trying to clean up the mess. But this is the result, just in terms of
the pictures we saw from Larry Madowo just a moment ago.
Julians Amboko from Nation Media Group, thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it. All right, still to come, a temporary pier built to
help bring in humanitarian aid to Gaza has been reattached again. We'll have a live report for you ahead.
GOLODRYGA: And with only days left until their summer break, the U.S. Supreme Court has a lot to get done. A look at the major decisions still to
come when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: U.S. officials tell CNN that aid delivery to Gaza has resumed after the military's temporary pier was re-anchored to the enclave's coast
today. This is the second time the pier had to be reattached.
ASHER: The first time it was damaged in heavy seas. It was then dismantled in anticipation of poor weather. CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now from
Jerusalem. So, with this pier reattached, Paula, is the hope that more aid can get in soon?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, that's certainly the hope. We don't have transparency on that particular pier. We have to wait for the
U.S. officials to tell us that it is functioning. We know that once it gets onto the Gaza beach, this humanitarian aid, it is then the World Food
Programme who is the one to distribute it around Gaza.
As the U.S. has said, they will not have U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza, it has been problematic, though, this particular pier. It was created in
April, and it was middle of May by the time it was functioning. And between then and now, it's really only had two weeks of working the way it should
be. Now, we've heard from the Pentagon that during those two weeks, they had some 6000 metric tons of aid that they were able to offload from a ship
and then take it into Gaza itself.
[12:25:02]
So, the problem has been high seas, adverse weather conditions, and the pier has not held up to those, certainly, as well as you'd imagine U.S.
officials had hoped. But they have consistently said that this is just one of the ways they are trying to get aid into Gaza. They have said it is not
intended to replace those land crossings, which are the key.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Paula Hancocks, hopefully the second time is the charm here and aid can get in rather swiftly. Thank you so much. Well,
still to come for us, contrasting styles. A look at how Joe Biden and Donald Trump are preparing for their first debate, which will be right here
on CNN next week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. We are all on, we were all on pins and needles, and we'll continue to be the next couple of weeks, through the
end of the month, as the Supreme Court issues another batch of decisions, the final this season, as well.
But the justices didn't announce any of the major cases still to be decided. There are close to 20 outstanding cases in this term, an unusually
high number. And it looks like the court could take until early July to reveal all of its decisions.
Among the most eagerly anticipated, Donald Trump's claim of sweeping presidential immunity, and whether the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol
on January 6th were committing obstruction of Congress.
[12:30:04]
ASHER: Yes, just a few days ago, Joe Biden said whoever wins in the fall will almost certainly get to appoint at least two new justices to the
court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U S. PRESIDENT: The Supreme Court has never been as out of kilter as it is today. I mean, never. I taught constitutional law for nine
years. This guy knows more about it than most. Look, the fact of the matter is that this has never been a court that's been this far out of step.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: All right, let's bring in Laura Barron-Lopez for more on this. And Laura, it's interesting because you have President Biden speaking out
against the Supreme Court when typically it's his adversary, right? It's his opponent, Donald Trump, who is bashing the court system.
And I'm wondering politically how relevant these cases are for voters out there who are yet to be undecided, factoring in that Monday will be the
two-year anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Was this a calculated and a smart calculated move viewed by Democrats on the part of
President Biden to speak out against the Supreme Court?
LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I think that more and more Democrats want to hear language like that and an argument like that from
President Biden because they believe that it could motivate their base come November.
Because Democratic voters, as well as moderate voters, some who, you know, live in the suburbs, women, are voters that Democrats think could be
motivated by reminding them about the overturning of Roe v. Wade at the hands of the Supreme Court, as well as other issues that have come before
the Supreme Court and really making the Supreme Court more of this wedge issue for their voters the way we've seen Republicans do in recent election
cycles. So, it's certainly something that I think we're going to hear more often from President Biden.
ASHER: And how much have ordinary Americans just lost faith in the integrity of the Supreme Court? You've got Justice Alito and the
controversy surrounding the American flag being flown upside down. Obviously, that involved his wife, as well. You've also got Justice
Clarence Thomas accepting lavish gifts from billionaires with that whole ethics scandal.
And then even with the whole sort of delay with the decision regarding presidential immunity, a lot of people look at that and say, well, is the
Supreme Court acting in a way that benefits Republican interest? Because the longer you wait until there is a decision, then the longer there's
going to be a delay in terms of there being a trial, as well. That obviously benefits Donald Trump. So, just give us your take on that.
BARRON-LOPEZ: Well, polling shows that trust in the Supreme Court is at an all-time low. Voters that I've talked to don't necessarily trust it.
They're questioning its credibility. They're questioning the Supreme Court's political motivations. For so long, the Supreme Court has been seen
as this co-equal branch of government, which it is, but is one that is supposed to be built on impartiality. And no longer do Americans view it
that way.
And then on that second point that you made in terms of the presidential immunity case for this January 6th overturning of the election case,
criminal case that Trump is facing, yes, there are a lot of questions about why it's taken so long.
The Supreme Court moved a lot faster when they had to hear whether or not Trump should be allowed to be on Colorado's ballot. They moved much more
quickly in determining that when it was brought before them versus this question of whether or not he has overarching immunity.
And even if they end up ruling against Donald Trump and saying, no, you don't have absolute immunity based on your actions surrounding January 6th,
by the time they do it, it may be too late essentially for Jack Smith, the special counsel, to get this trial going and to be able to have the trial
done before the November election. So, voters, very well, may not know the end result of this case before they cast their ballots.
GOLODRYGA: And, Laura, in addition to the immunity decision, we're also waiting for the Supreme Court to decide on another pivotal abortion case,
and that ruling may come just in time for that debate next Thursday right here on CNN. High-stakes debate between these two, as I noted, coming just
a few days after the anniversary, the two-year anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade by this same court.
How much pressure is President Biden expected to put on former President Trump on this particular issue? Because Trump seems to be both-sidesing it
here. On the one hand, chiding and reprimanding Republicans trying to stay away from abortion and controversial issues regarding reproductive rights,
at the same time taking credit for putting the justices in place who ultimately overturned Roe v. Wade.
[12:35:06]
BARRON-LOPEZ: That's right, taking credit for overturning Roe v. Wade and also saying that he wants to leave it up to the states. That's what Donald
Trump has been saying. The states can decide how restrictive or how harsh they want to be in terms of abortion bans or not. He has said the states
can decide if they want to track women's pregnancies, or -- and if they want to monitor whether or not women are traveling out of their state in
order to get abortions.
So, that's Donald Trump's position, despite the fact that he has told Republicans in Congress -- don't pursue a 15-week national ban. This is
something that his campaign has made clear that he is going to be hitting Donald Trump on over and over again.
Because we saw in 2022, and the campaign is looking at those numbers, that in the 2022 midterms, voters that based their vote on the economy, yes,
they overwhelmingly went for Trump. But voters that based their vote on abortion and on the overturning of Roe v. Wade, they overwhelmingly went
for Democrats.
And so, because of that, the Biden campaign really believes that this is going to be one of the biggest issues this election cycle. It's an issue
that I hear about from voters when I've gone to swing states like Michigan and Pennsylvania.
It still is very much front and center for them, because of the fact that they're seeing states take different approaches on how much they're going
to restrict or not restrict it, as well as opening up questions about whether or not certain states are going to pursue restrictions on
contraception or in vitro fertilization.
GOLODRYGA: All right. A lot at stake here. CNN Political Analyst Laura Barron-Lopez, thank you so much for your time. And again, do tune in to see
the CNN Presidential Debate right here on CNN coming up June 27th at 9 P.M. Eastern.
ASHER: And we're going to replay the debate in its entirety several times, actually, so you can watch it -- 7 A.M. if you're watching from London, and
that's 2 o'clock in the afternoon if you're watching from Hong Kong, or 12 hours later -- 7 o'clock in the evening.
GOLODRYGA: No excuse to miss this one.
ASHER: Or 10 o'clock at night in Abu Dhabi, as well. So, you can definitely fit this into your schedule.
All right. A new battle over religious freedom and what could be seen as government overreach is brewing in the United States. This comes after
Louisiana's Republican governor signed a law requiring schools to put a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in every public school
classroom.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, before signing the law, Louisiana's Republican governor said, quote, "I can't wait to be sued." Here's what else he's been saying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JEFF LANDRY (R-LA): If you want to respect the rule of law, you've got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Four civil liberties groups are vowing to sue Louisiana over the controversial law, or the American Civil Liberties Union and three other
groups say that it violates the separation of church and state.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, they go on to say, the law, quote, "would require school officials to promote specific religious beliefs to which people of many
faiths and those of no faith do not subscribe." Well, after a whirlwind visit to North Korea, Vladimir Putin gets a lavish welcome in Hanoi. We'll
look at the message the Russian President wants to send with his tour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:40:53]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): Russian President Vladimir Putin was greeted with pomp and circumstance in Hanoi earlier. President Putin thanked Vietnam's
President for his, quote, "balanced position" on the war in Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Russian media quotes Putin as saying the two countries shared an interest in building a reliable security structure for the region. The two
countries also signed agreements on oil, gas, and nuclear science and education, as well. Before that, though, Mr. Putin had a landmark visit to
Pyongyang, which we have been talking about multiple times this week. CNN's Mike Valerio wraps up this trip.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zain and Bianna, by now, Vladimir Putin has left the Korean Peninsula. The headlines from his trip to
Pyongyang splashed across front pages here in Seoul with the new mutual military defense treaty that we're still parsing through. But now he's in
Vietnam, and that trip is significantly different from what we all saw, the pageantry in Kim Il-Sung Square in Pyongyang.
And, you know, when we're talking about, when we're trying to analogize his neighborhood Asia trip, when you think of a neighborhood pariah where you
live, if the neighborhood pariah does something terrible, make no mistake about it, something that that pariah might do is go from home to home after
the fact to say, you know, are we okay? Are things still good?
So, obviously, North Korea is a reasonable home to stop in at. Vietnam, also a logical move for Vladimir Putin's chess piece. And here's why,
Bianna and Zain. A full 70 percent, or I should say up to 70 percent, of Vietnam's military hardware comes from one place and one place only, and
that is Russia. So, Vietnam is not a country that will loosen or will lose its ties with Russia any time soon.
There's a giant oil field in Vietnam that's a joint project with Russia, as well. Communist leaders in Vietnam waxing poetic all day today about their
fond memories of being educated, studying and learning communist ideology for many years in Russia.
And then, of course, we can't forget the history of the USSR being one of the first nations in 1950 to recognize North Vietnam, helping North
Vietnamese in their fight against the French and the Americans for years. But Vietnam is being very careful, the rhetoric certainly very different,
where we heard Vladimir Putin denouncing the imperialism from their point of view of the United States.
Vladimir Putin's rhetoric much softer because Vietnam prides itself on being a non-aligned nation, courting President Biden, hosting President Xi
Jinping of China, in addition to Vladimir Putin, now, in very rapid succession. So, Bianna and Zain, I would say that the key thing to watch is
how Vladimir Putin leaves Vietnam. With what deliverables does he leave?
Now, with North Korea, we have the new treaty, this new era of bromance. But if Vladimir Putin leaves Vietnam with just like, all right, that was
fantastic, and President Lam says, all right, well, don't worry, we'll call you, bye, without too many deliverables, that certainly can be perceived as
a hollow visit.
We need -- our Vladimir Putin certainly is hoping that he brings home more deliverables to his domestic audience to try to convey that he has more
friends on the international stage and is not as isolated as the West is portraying him and Russia to be. Bianna and Zain, let's send it back to
you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: All right, well, Russia launched a new barrage of missile and drone attacks overnight targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian officials say the attacks caused damage in four regions, including a thermal power plant. Yeah, the surge in attacks since late
March have knocked out Ukraine's energy generating capacity and forced rolling blackouts. CNN's Claire Sebastian has more.
[12:45:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Blackouts turn simple daily activities like taking a toddler out to play into Herculean tasks.
KATERYNA SERZHAN, KYIV RESIDENT: Because we live on the 15th floor, and sometimes when a warrior wants a bicycle, it's kind of complicated.
SEBASTIAN: It's created a situation where it's actually hard for you to leave your house.
SERZHAN: Yeah, maybe it's easier to leave our house, but it's hard to come back, you know.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Starting in late March, Russia launched a series of massive attacks, precision targeting Ukraine's power generating
facilities. For the first time in summer, rolling blackouts are now all the more a daily occurrence. A gas camping stove, the only way to cook a hot
dinner.
And yet, Kateryna's resilience belies the scale of this crisis. By early June, the attacks had destroyed 40 percent of the country's electricity
generating capacity, says DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company. And winter is too close for comfort.
DMYTRO SAKHARUK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STEK: We have 120 days left before the start of the heating season -- 120 days. So, it means that the speed in
which we need to move should be extremely high. It may not be business as usual.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): There's no quick fix. Rebuild where possible, in some cases using parts from decommissioned power plants in Europe. Start
building more smaller power units to spread the risk. Import more from Europe.
SEBASTIAN: Are you worried that it won't get done in 120 days? That it's going to mean that there are still deficits going into the winter?
SAKHARUK: The deficits will be higher than today. And that will mean that people will not have lights in their houses up to 20 hours.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Even with scheduled blackouts, the unexpected still happens. "We lost the lights. That's the reality we live in," says
this Ukrainian news anchor.
SVITALANA GRYNCHUK, UKRAINIAN DEPUTY MINISTER OF ENERGY: We called it the second front line. Energy now is like second front line. We understand that
winter period will be difficult for us. And -- but we are doing our best and we try to be ready.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): And that means being ready for more attacks.
GRYNCHUK: First priority is to protect our energy facilities, to protect our energy infrastructure. And the best way is air defense.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): There is progress on air defense and funding. But it's not quick enough for Kateryna and her daughter, now looking to leave
Kyiv for the winter and rent a house with a wood-burning stove.
SERZHAN: We have an apartment here and we understand that it will be really cold over here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:50:35]
GOLODRYGA: All right, Copa America 2024 kicks off tonight when Argentina faces Canada in Atlanta. Who is from Argentina?
ASHER: I think it's a soccer player, right?
No idea. Some 70,000 fans are expected at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
GOLODRYGA: And of course, all eyes will be on the one and only Lionel Messi and defending champion Argentina. The country has already won the
title 15 times. Matches will be held across 14 cities in the U.S.
ASHER: Yeah, this is only the second time the tournament has been hosted outside South America. CNN Sports Patrick Snell is in Atlanta outside the
stadium where the opening match is going to be held. Patrick, all eyes really at this point in time on Messi. I mean, this could really be his
last dance. Everyone focused on Argentina because it was obviously Argentina won the 2022 World Cup and the 2021 Copa. Take us through that.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Zain and Bianna, yeah. Hi. Welcome. Just over seven hours or so to kick off here. We've got a great vantage point
right outside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. And you're absolutely right. It will be all eyes on Messi. And I just hope fans get to see him play. I
expect he will feature at some point during this match. But over 70,000 tickets have been sold for this one.
This storied Copa America, a tournament that goes all the way back to 1916. And there's really nothing left for Messi to win in the game. Let's be
honest. We had hundreds of fans outside the team hotel earlier in the week. They're staying in the heart of downtown Atlanta. Fans quickly got wind of
that. And it's been a procession monitoring the team's every movement, trying to get to training sessions as well some miles away.
But Messi's won it all. He's won it all with his club, of course, over the years, his clubs over the years, huge success. But it wasn't until 2021
that he finally won the Copa, his first major international tournament for his country. So, he wins the 2021 Copa America. And then a year later, he
wins the prize, the coveted FIFA Men's World Cup, the 2022 version in Qatar.
So, the pressure's off. Yes, this could very well be his last ever major tournament for the Alba Celeste, his country. He scored 108 goals and
counting, as well, for Argentina. He's the one everyone wants to watch.
And ahead of the tournament, we've been hearing from the Alba Celeste head coach, Lionel Scaloni, who's been talking about the potential of seeing
Lionel Messi and another great Argentinian player, Angel Di Maria, potentially playing together for the last time for their country in a major
tournament. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIONEL SCALONI, ARGENTINA MANAGER (through translator): On the contrary, I am not worried. I say it doesn't make much sense to be thinking about when
they are gone. We're talking about them so much, but let's just enjoy them. That's the most important thing. The football world, not only the
Argentinians. I think they have to enjoy these guys, these players. And in the end, it's a game. Let's not forget that it's a game.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: Their opponents, Canada, will be trying to put up a show. There's no question about that. Remember, they are one of three countries co-
hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, America, Canada and Mexico. They'll want to put on a show, but I tell you, it's going to be very difficult indeed
against Messi. Back to you.
ASHER: The understatement of the entire millennium.
GOLODRYGA: Oh, Canada. That's right. Patrick Snell, thank you. Well, summertime in the U.S. means time off from school for a lot of kids, but
can also mean food insecurity for many families who rely on school meals.
ASHER: Yeah, a program in Mississippi is making sure children continue to be fed throughout the summer and with the help of a social media star,
those plates will be filled in a big way.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMY RUPERT, VOLUNTEER, BACKPACK BUDDIES AT PINEVILLE ELEMENTARY: So, this is the delivery I just received. This is all food donations for Backpack
Buddies.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Amy Rupert volunteers with Backpack Buddies at Pineville Elementary in past Christian, Mississippi, a program that
provides children in need with food for the weekend during the school year.
RUPERT: One of the members of our group is like, do you think maybe we could do this over the summer?
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Nearly every student at Pineville Elementary was eligible for the free or reduced price lunch program in the 2022 to 2023
school year.
MATTHEW BOUNDS, AUTHOR, "COME FIX YOU A PLATE": Breakfast and lunch at the school Monday through Friday might be the only food these kids are getting.
[12:55:02]
UNKNOWN (voice-over): The summer initiative caught the attention of Matthew Bounds, a cookbook author and content creator based in the Gulf
Coast who called on his millions of followers to join him in helping out.
BOUNDS: So, when I heard about this, you all, l already knew. I was like, I think the Barefoot Neighborhood could at least keep you from having to go
around, looking for donations. We could handle that. Most of the fundraising that I do revolves around kids here on the coast. So, to feed
kids on the coast was, I mean, it's a match made in heaven for us.
So, I asked Amy to put together a wish list, and this is a really easy list. I think this one's probably going to go in like 15 minutes. They
literally did do it in 15 minutes. It was so fast. I think we replenished the list like three different times and within minutes it was gone. And
after about an hour, we were like, okay, we've got plenty.
RUPERT: The first delivery, I had my very own mail truck, like the whole thing was just me. It was over 200 packages. And then, you know, the next
day, 150 packages.
BOUNDS: I love how enthusiastic people get. They really want to get on board and help. And I have found that doing wish lists like this are just
such a great way for people to help.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: What a great cause. So many children will be helped this summer.
ASHER: Totally.
GOLODRYGA: Well, that does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Thanks for watching.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
