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Quest Means Business
U.S. Air Force B-52 Bomber Crashes In California; Trump: Strait Of Hormuz To Fully Open On Friday; Deadly Russia Strike Sparks Fire At Historic Kyiv Monastery; United States Blocks Foreign Access To Anthropic's Most Powerful Models; Cape Verde Stun Spain With 0-0 Draw In World Cup Debut; Ethiopian Airlines: Reducing Our Margin Over Raising Prices. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired June 15, 2026 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:20]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: You can see there a record for the Dow, but quite underwhelming compared to the other two indices. The S&P and
the NASDAQ. You see the NASDAQ there better than three percent up as Wall Street celebrates a diplomatic breakthrough in the Persian Gulf.
Those are the markets and these are the main events: Global markets are surging after President Trump says Iran has signed an initial agreement
reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Anthropic is meeting with U.S. government officials after The White House blocked the release of its latest A.I. model update.
And a major upset at the World Cup as Spain is held to a draw by the underdog, Cape Verde.
Live from New York. It is Monday, June 15th. I am Paula Newton, in for Richard Quest and this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
And we do want to begin with some breaking news out of the United States. A B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at an Air Force base in
California. These are live pictures you are looking at there. I mean, it is so shocking.
The crash happened at Edwards Air Force Base, north of Los Angeles. The base says the plane went down about one hour and 40 minutes ago. It is not
immediately clear if there are casualties. CNN has reached out to Edwards Air Force Base for more information, but right now, we do want to bring in
retired U.S. Air Force colonel and CNN military analyst, Cedric Leighton.
Listen, I am sure looking at these pictures, I can imagine your questions, but fill us in when you look at this kind of a catastrophic scene at
Edwards Air Force Base.
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, Paula, you describe it as a catastrophic scene is exactly right. You know, what we are looking
at here is the aftermath. Apparently, the B-52, which normally has a crew of five personnel, including the pilot, the copilot, navigator and a weapon
systems officer, they normally, you know, would be flying training missions out of this base and what has happened based on initial reports, is that
the aircraft, the B-52 was taking off and it was basically on takeoff that the plane crashed.
So just somewhat unusual for that to happen. But in this situation, what you look at here is the aftermath of a very big accident and you know, of
course the plane was full of fuel, you know, judging by the way this looks and unfortunately, the likelihood of survivors is very, very slim at this
point.
NEWTON: And that's because if it has happened just at takeoff, right, Colonel, it would be difficult for them to anticipate that there was going
to be an emergency and then really no way to actually escape the crash.
LEIGHTON: That's right. Yes, exactly, Paula. And you know, and especially depending on the exact altitude, which I assume was pretty minimal, you
know, when things started to go wrong, you know, you could be talking about an engine malfunction in a case like this. That is one of the likely
scenarios.
But of course, there is going to be an investigation and that investigation is going to, you know, really look at any mechanical failures, was there
something that was forgotten as the aircraft was being maintained.
And we have to remember also, Paula, that these aircraft are very old. You know, many of them, uh, you know, come from the early 1960s that are
currently in our inventory in the U.S. Air Force. And they have -- you know, we are were talking, you know, over 60 years, of service and they are
going to be stresses to the metal. There is a thing called metal fatigue. These aircraft could very well fit into that category.
But of course, the accident investigation is going to have to be very thorough and it is going to have to take all of the possible factors into
account. But that is certainly a likely scenario at this point.
NEWTON: And, Colonel, you know, you speak to us not just with your expertise, but as someone who has commanded the crew of B-52s and B-52s
themselves, how disconcerting is this? And I want to note, the President himself has bragged about so many missions, which the B-52 bomber in his
estimation was the backbone of the U.S. being able to carry out whatever mission they had strategically.
[16:05:10]
LEIGHTON: Well, certainly the B-52 is a backbone aircraft. There is no question about that, and just one quick correction, if I may, I was never a
commander of a B-52 unit, I was an Intel officer.
But be that as it may, we worked a lot with B-52 crews, and that is, you know, something that is dear to anybody who has been in the Air Force
because these are critical components.
These aircraft are critical components of the U.S. Air Force mission, and what they do is basically they have a global mission. It is part of -- you
know, some of them are part of Global Strike Command, that command is responsible for worldwide missions similar to the ones that were carried
out against Iran last year and this year. So it is a venerable aircraft. It goes back, you know, in terms of its use, it goes back all the way to the
Vietnam War.
And it has been, you know, with a lot of modifications throughout the years, a very effective means of actually using air power to not only
convey a message, but also to, in essence, you know, be part of a U.S. military operation, you know, whether it was desert storm, the first Gulf
War, or the second Gulf War, where they operations in Afghanistan, it played a critical role.
So these are, you know, aircraft that you know, have become not only part of the arsenal, but also part of the mythology of the Air Force and
whenever you lose one like this under these tragic circumstances, it definitely is something that hits home.
NEWTON: Yes, interesting that you point that out, especially as I am sure so many military families right now looking on and waiting for more
information.
Cedric Leighton, grateful to you. Appreciate it.
Now, the price of oil is plunging as traders hope for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as soon as this week. The U.S. and Iran have reached a
Memorandum of Understanding, an MOU, which will pause the fighting while talks continue.
Now, under this initial agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will reopen and the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports will end. Now oil, as you can imagine, has
fallen sharply. Brent crude is trading at a three-month low of about $83.00 a barrel; WTI is going for about $81.00 a barrel. President Trump said the
Strait of Hormuz would soon be fully open for business. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We signed -- the deal is all signed and the Strait is already partially opened. As you
know, they are doing a little hunting for a couple of mines that they've already found, but it is essentially, ships are starting to go out now. On
Friday, it will be completely opened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, President Trump also writing on Truth Social, "Ships of the world, start your engines. Let the oil flow." Now, clearly, oil production
was a key factor in the President's decision making.
Dave Goldman is with me, and you've been looking at exactly why it was key to his decision making. Markets are always looking months ahead. Right?
What are those contracts, months ahead, telling us about the durability of any agreement here and its effect on energy markets in the months to come?
DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, certainly the market is sending us a strong signal. So let's start with the front month. That's
what is actively trading as you noted.
I mean this price has come down. This was above $90.00 a barrel just on Friday. So here we are, we have fallen dramatically from that. But what do
we need to get to. Well, that's about $70.00 right. That is where we were before the war started. Actually, just a little bit below that.
Now, this does still -- this is less than $90.00 and we now have a little bit of credence, you know, that we can give to President Trump's quote from
Friday saying that oil prices would drop like a rock. But to your point, Paula, what is preventing this from happening? Well, look at the market and
what it is telling us. When are we going to get below $70.00? Not until October of 2031. That is five years from now.
Why is it that if oil is trading at $83.00 today, why will it take five years to get back below $70.00? And I think this is getting to your
question right now. Look at this. This is the Strait of Hormuz. There are two ways in and there are two ways out right now.
You can go over the Coast of Oman and you can go right here through the Coast of Iran. There are two ways out. This way might have a toll to it.
This is the way that a lot of ships have tried to escape by turning their transponders off. What about this in the middle? Well, it is dotted with
mines right now, and those will need to be swept before.
[16:10:10]
And this is crucial -- before we can get traffic back in, because we need empty tankers to come back in and take the oil that has been stockpiled in
the Middle East, back out to its destination. And that is a big, big problem because without that oil, we have been drawing down our inventories
and it is not by a little, it is by one billion barrels over the course of this war have evaporated from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve industries
all over the world and from our commercial inventories as well.
And the problem with this is that we are now reaching critical levels of oil across the world, where it becomes very difficult to pipe that oil out
because the volume is so low. And this problem is why the oil market understands that we are not going to hit below 70 for quite some time, it
seems, until it can solve this problem -- Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, the supply shock will take a lot longer to rattle through this market. David Goldman, thanks for the explainer. Appreciate it.
Now, President Trump says the text of the U.S.-Iran agreement would be released pretty soon. The U.S. President met with his French counterpart,
Emmanuel Macron today at the G7 in France.
Now, Mr. Trump said he wanted the text released because it was, "a powerful document."
The war in Ukraine, though, will also loom large at the G7. Moscow fired a barrage of missiles and drones on Ukraine's largest cities overnight. An
attack on Kyiv sparked a massive fire at an historic monastery. Responders fought right through the night to try and save the complex, parts of which
are a thousand years old.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it one of Russia's most serious crimes against Christian culture to date. The Russian attacks killed 11 people
nationwide.
Melissa Bell is in Evian, where the G7 is taking place.
Melissa, look, they are their working dinner. I am not sure if its wrapped up, but President Trump would obviously like to talk about what he
considers a success in Iran. And yet, for most of the G7 leaders, they will argue Ukraine needs to be front and center as well.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
Both wars were going to be discussed tomorrow, in any case, Paula, first, because President Zelenskyy is arriving tomorrow morning, that will be the
very start of the day and Europeans are hoping to do two things. It is not excluded for the time being that at some point, President Zelenskyy and
President Trump may have a moment together. That is one of the hopes, but certainly in the context of the talks, Europeans who point out that they
are the ones keeping Kyiv afloat financially, want a much bigger place in potential peace negotiations.
And of course, they are really hoping to return, redirect President Trump's attention to Ukraine after these many months of it being distracted by
Iran. Iran itself was always going to be on the agenda, since we expect tomorrow a conversation in a large conversation on the matter with some of
the regional leaders, people like President Sisi of Egypt, the leaders also of the UAE and Qatar.
Of course, the events of the day and what President Trump and President Macron had to say earlier about that Memorandum of Understanding will place
Iran more firmly at the heart of this summit, not least over the next few days, Paula, really getting everyone to hope that we get more details on
exactly what is inside it.
Weve been hearing most recently, as President Trump stood alongside the French President, he believed its contents would be published Friday after
the signature, which is really a line from with what we have been hearing from Tehran, so frustratingly, a few more days to go before we might get
eyes on it.
We are hearing from other American officials that we may get more details sooner. But clearly, a lot of anticipation about what may be inside that
and how realistic this prospect of the beginning of negotiations may be. But that dinner that you mentioned still ongoing, it was pretty spectacular
area just in front of the lake that's behind me now with the G7 leaders and their partners dining outside.
Clearly, now Iran to dominate more than ever, but I think the fact that the American President has arrived with what he believes is good news does
slightly change the tone of this G7. You'll remember, of course, Paula, that the one last year also dominated by Iran, had seen the American
President leaving early. This time, no chance is taken with that dinner in Versailles. The French President had wanted to ensure that he would stay
the course.
But I think the fact of this Memorandum of Understanding, if nothing else, slightly changes the dynamic and certainly seems to put President Trump in
a pretty good mood as these conversations set out. And you sense from the French President standing next to him that they will be hoping to have more
positive conversations than perhaps they have managed to do in the past -- Paula.
[16:15:10]
NEWTON: Yes, certainly a resetting of the table, as they say, and we will wait to see what comes out of that working dinner. Melissa Bell, thank you
to you.
Now, pressure from the U.S. and the threat posed by Russia have led European nations to increase their defense spending. Non-U.S. members of
NATO have been beefing up their military since Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. You see some of the numbers there.
An Emirati Defense firm called the Edge Group is capitalizing by launching a new company in France. It is putting an emphasis on innovation, which has
been so crucial in Ukraine's fight against Russia.
Hamad al Marar is the managing director, CEO of the Edge company. He joins me now from Paris, and it is good to see you as we try and parse exactly
what this Defense architecture will look like in Europe and beyond.
I want to go, though, to what has happened in the UAE, its defense posture has also been an opportunity for your company to be a defense exporter.
But, you know, let us in here. What have the last few months and specifically the conflict with Iran, what has it taught you in your company
over the last few months?
HAMAD AL MARAR, CEO, MANAGING DIRECTOR, EDGE GROUP: First of all, thanks for having me. Of course, war is never a good thing, but the reality of the
case is we always have to be ready. Conflicts do happen. And these last months have proven that our Armed Forces was more than ready to repel the
harm that we saw and the aggression that we saw from Iran.
Of course, as a defense technology developer, a provider to the UAE Armed Forces, we have played a role in really providing them with solutions that
were homegrown to push back over 80 percent of those attacks that the UAE has faced over the last few months.
NEWTON: I don't have to remind you, 80 percent is not a hundred percent, and as a father with children in the region, I am sure this concerns you.
Can you speak specifically to asymmetric warfare, right? And what we've been seeing for months now.
Your shadow fleet of Strike Jones, I mean, the interception rate is impressive, but what are you working on right now that would get you closer
to the 100 percent? And can you design and build that in a rapid, cost effective way? Because I don't have to remind you, normally state sponsored
in the past has meant by the state. This is definitely more of a partnership.
AL MARAR: Very true, Paula, when we are referring to a homegrown interception, over 80 percent, we have way above 95 percent with our allies
and, and friends. So, I just wanted to make sure that people don't see it as we are here alone. We have been supported by many countries to repel
this harm and to push back this aggression. So we are way above 95 percent when it comes to the interceptions, and you know, downing many of those
drones.
But I just wanted to emphasize that over 80 percent was done by a homegrown technology.
NEWTON: When you say homegrown technology, though, what specifically has worked here, what has been effective and does a lot of it apply to your
system of the strike drones or what they call the loitering -- you know, loitering munitions as well that have a layered effect with all the help
you get from allies as well.
AL MARAR: Yes. I mean, we have proudly geofenced the UAE with jammers, interception optics, soft kills mechanisms that we are able to bring down
many of the drones. In terms of the ballistic interceptions, of course, we have relied on many of the joint programs that we have with other
countries, including South Korea, including the U.S. and those have played effectively.
NEWTON: So you are in France, your expansion is, you hope into Europe. What is your message to Europe at this point in time in terms of what can be
done? You know, that cost has been a huge issue, but also speed of things like procurement. At this point, what do you hope to lend to Europe in
terms of what you've learned from the UAE?
AL MARAR: Our technology is making it to the export market. Currently, over 70 percent of our revenues yearly are coming from exports. Now, exports is
not an entitlement, you have to really work on. So quality is met and being cost effective and being able to deliver was the statement made by Edge.
[16:20:07]
Nevertheless, now when we see our solutions coming in a very short time, I think we have shifted the paradigm here. We have disrupted many of the
technologies, and because were not working from legacies, there are really clean sheets that we work from, and to emphasize on this, I mean, the Edge
Group do employ over 19,000 employees and we have them coming from over 90 countries, irrespective of religion, skin color, country. Those are school
of thoughts and schools that we learn from and technology had been on the leap, at least in the UAE, and this is not the norm of such an industry.
So, we have been able to strike a model that would yield us fast delivery of solutions, quite innovative that I think -- and we do see that Europe is
quite interested in it.
NEWTON: Yes, we do see that they are taking notice, and take your point, that it is a clean slate.
Hamad al Marar, of the Edge company, we will continue to keep track of the developments. Appreciate it.
AL MARAR: Thank you Paula. Thank you.
NEWTON: Now, the U.K. has announced plans for a sweeping social media ban for youths. Up next, we will see how similar measures in Australia are
holding up and what Canada's government is considering as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: And we have more breaking news. California Governor Gavin Newsom says he and his wife are being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department
on President Trump's orders.
Newsom posted a video a short time ago where he claimed that Trump is coming after him because he is an outspoken critic and because he might run
for President in 2028.
The Justice Department has declined to comment. In his video, Newsom said his wife was also under investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): Donald Trump is simply the most corrupt President in American history. He has turned the levers of government into his own
personal power ministries to reward cronies and to try to jail his opponents. His personal attorney now runs the Department of Justice, which
has repeatedly gone after his political enemies one by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has ended up on his hit list.
And today, I proudly join that list.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Chief legal affairs correspondent, Paula Reid joins us now.
I mean, look, these are bombshell allegations. What more are you learning about the details and how all of this came together?
[16:25:03]
PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: You're absolutely right that this is a bombshell allegation and we have to be really careful,
right, as we report this out, because there are political incentives on both sides of this to try to control the narrative.
Of course, for Governor Newsom, becoming, as he described himself, a "political enemy" of President Trump, which certainly serve him well if he
were to throw his hat in the ring for 2028 as the Democratic candidate, and then on the Trump side of things, we know he wants his Justice Department
to go after his perceived political enemies. That would certainly be brownie points for any official who would pursue an adversary like this.
But it has been about an hour-and-a-half since Newsom posted this video. Here is what we learned in our conversations with sources.
At this point, a source familiar tells us there is no investigation directly into Governor Newsom, but a U.S. Attorney in California is leading
investigations into people connected to him, including his wife over possible tax-related crimes.
Now, we are also told that the political leadership of the Trump Justice Department, so that's folks like Todd Blanche or Stan Woodward, a lot of
lawyers close to the President, they were not involved in the origins of this investigation. Instead, it was prompted by whistleblower reports last
year.
Now, Newsom's office alleges that federal agents have contacted people and organizations connected to both the Governor and his wife, that they've
issued subpoenas for records and conducted interviews related to years of personal and professional activity. Newsom's office says in recent weeks,
the federal probe expanded to focus on his family and his professional network.
Another thing, sort of conflating what exactly is going on here is the fact that Newsom's former chief-of-staff was indicted in November 2025 on
federal charges connected to allegations of stealing campaign money from the former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, now, that's someone
that she also worked for. Those allegations stem from things that happened before she worked for Newsom. She pleaded guilty to three of those 23
charges. So here, it does appear that investigators are looking at people around the Governor, but not him directly.
But as we've seen over the past decade or so, federal investigations close to political campaigns, sometimes they can start by looking at your
associates, and eventually you too become a target. But at this point, it does not appear that Newsom is directly being a target of an investigation.
But there are investigations into his associates that are underway.
So we are going to continue to report this very closely, especially looking at the timeline when these start, when this recent activity happened.
That's something we are still trying to nail down, as again, a lot of political incentives around these kinds of investigations on both sides of
the aisle.
NEWTON: Yes, and a reminder, if we needed one, that the Justice Department at all levels in the United States must remain independent. Paula Reid for
us, thanks for those details. Appreciate it.
Now, Anthropic is meeting with the U.S. Commerce Department over export controls on its latest, most powerful A.I. models. The company says it has
disabled access to Mythos 5 and Fable 5 after being told to block foreign nationals from using them.
Now, Anthropic says the U.S. government cited National Security issues and the reason for the directive. The firm believes the government became aware
of a way to get around one of the model's internal guardrails. Cybersecurity leaders at firms like NVIDIA and Adobe have asked the Trump
administration to lift these restrictions.
Hadas Gold is with us in New York here, and I know you have new information Hadas, on exactly what is being discussed and those discussions, what they
entail between the Trump administration and Anthropic at this hour.
HADAS GOLD, CNN A.I. CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so Anthropic sent some of its top technical experts to Washington today to have direct conversations with the
administration officials over this ban. They have been in touch virtually every day since this was instituted on Friday, but this all goes down to
Anthropic's Mythos system. This is its most advanced A.I. model system that when it was first talked about a few months ago, it kind of spooked the
industry.
It spooked governments just because of how capable it is when it comes to cybersecurity. It is like having a million hackers or cybersecurity
defenders working on your behalf. And Anthropic actually hasn't released Mythos for general use because of its advanced capabilities.
But last week, they released Fable 5, what they called Fable, which is Mythos, but with guardrails so that everyday people could use it. But Fable
was only out for a couple days before Anthropic said they got a call from the government on Friday, an Anthropic source, they are telling me that
they only had 90 minutes to remove access to their systems because the U.S. government had been alerted by a trusted partner, which I now understand
was Amazon to a potential jailbreak. As you noted, jailbreaks are a way to get around the internal safety guardrails.
And why this matters is because if somebody could get around Fable's safety guardrails and kind of unlock Mythos' capabilities, then that could get
into the wrong hands, and that's like having a bad guy, having all of these hacking capabilities.
And so the U.S. government issued this export control ban on Anthropic, meaning no foreign national can touch Mythos or Fable, including
Anthropic's own employees. And as a result, Anthropic said they were essentially forced to cut off all access to Fable and Mythos. That's a big
deal, you know, especially on the business side for Anthropic as well, when it really is seen as one of, if not the top A.I. companies out there.
Now, Anthropic says that this jailbreak that they were told the government found, they say it is actually not that big of a deal. They say that its
relatively simple that other models can, you know, have this -- can reach the same sort of jailbreak as well, and that it doesn't actually
demonstrate a flaw in their system.
They also say that they disagree that finding such a narrow jailbreak should call for an entire model to be pulled back. They also say that they
disagree that finding such a narrow jailbreak should call for an entire model to be -- to be pulled back. They say, "If this standard was applied
across the industry, we believe it would essentially halt all new model deployments for all frontier model providers."
[16:30:45]
Now, again, the government says that they had to do this. This is a national security concern, and here, you are seeing in real time the
tension between the fact that we don't really have a full A.I. regulation in place, laws around how to regulate A.I. And the government is
essentially kind of doing this on the fly with the tools that they have available to them right now.
David Sacks, who was a top Trump adviser, he posted that the administration hopes that they are able to remedy the safety issue, that the export
control is lifted, and that it can happen as soon as possible. But he actually added that the administration is bewildered, he said that
Anthropic hasn't wanted to comply with safety requests that it previously said were its highest priority.
But, of course, there is a long history of tension between this administration and Anthropic. The Pentagon, a few months ago, labeled
Anthropic supply chain risk over disagreements -- over safety guardrails and Anthropic system. But Anthropic says that they are working very hard to
try and fix this with the government. Their technical experts are in D.C. as we speak, trying to work with the Commerce Department to figure out a
way to lift this ban. Paula.
NEWTON: Yes. Still curious, though, given Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is actually one of the most vocal people out there asking for these
guardrails, and yet, here you have -- they are disagree about exactly what's needed.
Hadas Gold for us. Thanks for filling us in. Appreciate it.
Now, one of the biggest shocks of the FIFA World Cup so far, a tournament newcomer Cape Verde stuns Spain in Atlanta. You will want to hear this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:35:19]
NEWTON: OK. So, a stunning upset at the World Cup. Spain, I don't have to remind you, it's a favorite of this tournament. Faced World Cup newcomer
Cape Verde at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia, and it was a stunner. The small island nation held Spain to a 0-0 draw.
CNN's Patrick Snell is outside the Atlanta stadium. And Patrick, fill us in, especially on what went on, on the pitch, because you would not
obviously expect this.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: No, no one saw this coming. It was quite remarkable, historic day. Cape Verde in
their first ever World Cup, not just getting a point, but winning so many admirers as well.
This fan zone here in Atlanta, Centennial Olympic Park in the heart of downtown Atlanta, absolutely packed, thousands of fans. There is still a
huge amount of fans here watching the next game currently in progress between Belgium and Egypt.
But I tell you what, Cape Verde fans, when the final whistle went, they were absolutely ecstatic. There was a good portion of them in that far
corner over there. They were totally outnumbered, I will say, by the Spanish fans. But this is their World Cup final. They celebrated like they
just a World Cup, and I tell you what, why not?
Meantime, quarter of a mile over there is the Mercedes Benz Stadium, where the match was actually played, and I tell you what, 67,000 fans packing it
out, and they were worthy of their point. Cape Verde. No doubt about it, they were absolutely worthy of their point. They frustrated Spain La Roja,
the reigning European champions.
Spain had a really good purple patch near the end of the first half. Ferran Torres should have scored from seven or eight yards out baller just right
at the end of that first half, he hit the woodwork there.
But I want to give a big shout out to the Cape Verde goalkeeper, Vozinha, a 40-year-old who plays his club football in the second tier of the
Portuguese leagues. He has an outstanding match. He made a total of seven saves playing in his first ever World Cup.
And you compare the fact that Lamine Yamal, at 18, the Barcelona phenom for Spain, is playing in his first World Cup as well. You can look at the
disparity there, the difference in the ages.
But a quick word on Lamine Yamal, because Spain never intended to play in this game, in my humble opinion. He is still recovering from a hamstring
injury, he is still nowhere near 100 percent fit. They didn't want to play him at all in my book, but they felt obliged to bring him on with 20
minutes to go, because La Roja just could not crack through. They could not break the deadlock.
And with 20 minutes to go, he came on. There was a massive, massive buzz, a whole energy around the stadium, and indeed the fan zone here.
But not even he could change the game, and at the end there was raw, dry emotion on the faces of those Cape Verde players. I tell you, what. Their
goalkeeper, Vozinha, coming off the field of play, fighting back tears. It was a terrific result.
And I tell you what, as well, Paula, they go now to Miami, Florida, for their second match, when they play Uruguay on the weekend. And if they can
get something from that game, who knows, they have got a real chance, potentially, of going through to the round of 32, which would be an
absolutely outstanding storyline.
NEWTON: Yes, yes. Imagine, and they have sent the mighty Spanish back to the drawing board to figure out how they can get something going. Patrick
Snell, it's interesting, isn't it? We'll wait to hear from more surprises. So, I'm sure there will be some.
SNELL: Yes.
NEWTON: Thanks so much.
Now, despite the U.S. and Iran reaching an initial deal to open the Strait of Hormuz, jet fuel prices are so high, with no signs of relief for the
aviation industry.
Richard Quest asked the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Mesfin Tasew, about how the fuel crisis is impacting his airline. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MESFIN TASEW, GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES: Within a few weeks, we faced supply of fuel problem. But somehow, we managed it, and
since recently we started importing our own fuel. So, now, supply of fuel is not a problem for us.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Wow, so, you did actually face a real supply issue. It wasn't a question of the price, it was a question of
could you actually get it?
TASEW: Yes, correct. Initially the problem was supply problem.
QUEST: Have you had to cut back flying because of fuel?
TASEW: No.
QUEST: How much of the increased cost are you able to pass on to passengers?
TASEW: Only a portion of.
QUEST: Really?
TASEW: Yes.
QUEST: So, that means you are eating the rest.
TASEW: Yes, yes. The remaining part of the cost will reduce our margin in our profitability, otherwise we have -- we have accepted that.
[16:40:04]
QUEST: And your government is happy with that.
TASEW: What choice that do they have?
QUEST: Well, you could pass on the cost.
TASEW: No, no, no, no. Look, fares are determined based on the competitive landscape. We cannot simply say this is our cost, we add margin, and we
don't say this is fare. The fare of tickets is determined based on market conditions.
QUEST: Do you see Africa as being a realistic market? And why I choose that word carefully, because you'd love to fly to more places in Africa, and
you'd love to fly within Africa, but it's so difficult. The protectionism of countries is so great.
TASEW: You are right, there is some protectionism in some countries, but now countries are opening up in line with the Single African Air Transport
Market, SAATM. So, some countries that were very difficult to get traffic right are now easing the restriction, and we are benefiting from that.
Would you agree with me that Africa -- that the fact that it is so difficult to fly around Africa is a huge impediment to growth to economic
growth. If they would only open up and make it easier, the benefits would be huge. Do you think?
TASEW: That's correct. If -- look, the challenges in African air transport industry are multiple. Number one, traffic restriction. As I said earlier,
more countries are opening up, and this problem is being addressed.
The second one is high cost of operation. Because there are monopolistic services like ground handling airports and others, the cost of operation is
high. It is still a challenge.
The third problem is many African countries are living more tax on the airlines, so that again makes it more expensive to fly enough.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Our thanks to Richard there for that interview. And that is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. Coming up next, "CONNECTING AFRICA".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:45:50]
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CONNECTING AFRICA. I'm Eleni Giokos. This month, we are delving into the impact sport can have on economic
growth, investment, and opportunity. From rising stars across football, basketball, baseball, and the Olympics.
From Africa's first black Olympic gold medalist Shambel Abebe Bikila, to Ethiopia's Eliud Kipchoge, and Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry. When it comes to
the Olympics, Africa has produced some amazing athletes, but did you know that the continent has never held an official Olympic event?
Well, that's about to change as our Victoria Rubadiri has been finding out how this year's summer youth Olympic Games are coming to the continent for
the first time ever.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VICTORIA RUBADIRI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Brick by brick, seat by seat, venue by venue. Final preparations are being made for
the Summer Youth Olympic Games at the end of October in Dakar.
CHRISTOPH DUBI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES, INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE: It's incredibly symbolic, because the continent has been
producing amazing sports competition, right, including the FIFA World Cup and many others.
For the first time, Senegal will be on the map. Continent will be on the map.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have the great pleasure to say it's time for Africa.
RUBADIRI (voice over): Senegal won the bid in 2018.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senegal! Senegal! Senegal! Senegal!
RUBADIRI (voice over): With an Olympic event built around a vision of legacy, youth, and long-term impact.
IBRAHIMA WADE, GENERAL COORDINATOR, DAKAR 2026 YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES: Having that in Senegal, it looks like having that in all African countries, and it
made us proud, of course, but it made all African countries proud. All Africans.
SOPHIE NDIAYE, GENERAL MANAGER, MAR DID COMPLEX: Let's go to the stadium.
RUBADIRI (voice over): Sophie Ndiaye is overseeing the venue where athletics, boxing, and the Rugby sevens will be held.
NDIAYE: The grandstand, you have maximum capacity of 8,000 people, and then, you have the arena on the backside that will go after. Overall
standing, you can have 26,000 people.
RUBADIRI (voice over): From refurbished stadiums to new athlete accommodation to transport and logistics systems designed for a global
audience, investments that organizers say should last long after the games.
WADE: Mainly, we focus on refurbishment. Why refurbishment is important in regarding sport facilities? We have in -- we had in the country a lack of
investment in terms of sports, but we take the opportunity of the games to refurbish and to rebuild most of them. It means that those contributions
are impacting sport development in the country for the games, but more long time after the games.
RUBADIRI (voice over): The game's biggest legacy may not be what's being built in concrete, but in its people. Youth from across the continent have
been brought to Dakar to learn how to deliver a global event.
DUBI: If there is one legacy that this event will live a lasting impact on Dakar, but also the continent is the workforce and the talents that will
have been revealed in the meantime. So, we have created a program for educating and coaching young talents from Senegal, but from the whole
continent on the very specific demands of an event. For that matter, the youth games. But this expertise will be able to be disseminating across the
continent for sport.
RUBADIRI: But delivering an event at this scale doesn't come without its challenges.
DUBI: I'd say it's probably close to 5,000 people that will have to come from outside into Senegal, Dakar.
RUBADIRI: How important is it to have intra-African travel and movement of these athletes?
DUBI: We are relying on also the Continental Association of National Olympic Committees in Africa to help us.
[16:50:02]
Why not having a few charter flights from different destinations? So, these are the type of elements we are looking into.
RUBADIRI (voice over): As the countdown to the games begins, Dakar is set to emerge onto the world stage. New buildings and infrastructure are in
place. A new generation of young people have been trained.
DUBI: It's a very young continent. It's a very dynamic continent. It's, it's a very energetic continent. So, I don't see any reason why people
would not have even more desire to host after the youth games in Dakar. But it always starts with people, but it takes people to say we are going to
host and we are going to find a way to do it.
RUBADIRI (voice over): Across Senegal, excitement is building. It will be a historic event, a first that Africa is hoping won't be the last.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Up next, from the Olympics to baseball. How the continent plans to grow the bat and ball game.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back. The bat and ball game of baseball may not be the first sport people associate with Africa, but that is starting to change.
Across the continent, new leagues, training programs, and grassroots initiatives are trying to build the game from the ground up.
Our correspondent Victoria Rubadiri reports on how baseball in Abuja. Nigeria is creating lots of opportunities.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUBADIRI (voice over): Young athletes are stepping up to the plate in Abuja to prove they have what it takes to play baseball.
OPEMIPO DARE OLAMIDE, DIPLOMATIC BASEBALL PLAYER: Baseball teaches you a lot about perseverance, about consistency, hard work, how you need to be at
the top of your game always.
RUBADIRI (voice over): Abuja's diplomatic Dodgers took on the Niger state baseball team in the North Regional Finals in May.
UCHE ODOZOR, PRESIDENT, WBSC AFRICA: Over 30 something years now, we've been playing, and we have been growing in Nigeria. We have actively, of the
35 states. we have 18 states that are actively, you know, involved in baseball.
RUBADIRI (voice over): Nigeria is one of the 27 members of the World Baseball and Softball Confederation for Africa, or WBSC Africa, which is
the continent's governing body for baseball, softball, and baseball five.
ODOZOR: We have about 45,000 registered baseballers on the continent, and we have over 400 clubs across the continent. So, and the numbers are
growing.
RUBADIRI (voice over): A former baseball player himself, Uche Odozor, founded the Diplomatic Dodgers Baseball and Softball Club in Abuja in 2023,
and currently serves as the president of WBSC Africa.
ODOZOR: A lot of us today are very successful business people, because we have believed in the principle of hard work, the principle of commitment,
respect, dignity, values, most importantly, and these are the things that drive business that moves you from the baseball pitch, which we consider
that is that diamond, and treasure it, and then being able to advance the gospel to the young generations that are coming, and that is exactly what
we are doing today.
RUBADIRI (voice over): But to make it to the pros, Odozor says athletes must be given the opportunity to play baseball from a young age.
ODOZOR: In our development program, we have decentralized it, and our focus actually remains the school and the female, and we have a very large pool
of very young, you know, Africans that are very passionate about these sports.
[16:55:06]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Superstars going to make it.
RUBADIRI (voice over): Both state and private schools in Abuja are introducing youngsters to the sport with the help of Odozor's
baseballership program.
ANDERSON KOLAWOLE, OSEH, PRINCIPAL, GOVERNMENT SECONDARY SCHOOL, ABUJA, NIGERIA: In a population of a school like this, where we have about, you
know, (INAUDIBLE) 5,000 children, that there are opportunities -- great opportunities, not just football, not everybody can play football, but if
they have the opportunity of playing baseball, it gives them a bigger opportunity to become, you know, something greater in life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get play ball.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Play ball.
RUBADIRI (voice over): Along with opportunities for personal growth, there is immense economic potential within baseball. A report by the market
research company Future Data Stats found the global baseball market is worth $15 billion.
It says Africa could further tap into this market by increasing sports initiatives and international partnerships.
EMEKA ENYADIKE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DIGITAL SPORTS AFRICA: Over the last few years, there have been coaches and trainers coming from places like the
U.S., Japan.
RUBADIRI (voice over): However, as more players are wanting the opportunity to bat, many are acutely aware of the economic strain of the game.
ODOZOR: A lot of the kids are coming from outskirts. So, what it means is that you have to provide, you know, transportation for them to come.
Sometimes, moving within Africa to play another African nation is more expensive than even living for Europe to go and play in Europe and America.
There has to be an Africa visa free for sporting engagements. Why do I have to pay to get a visa to go to South Africa, to go and play for 10 days? It
just doesn't add up.
RUBADIRI (voice over): When it comes to the hefty price tag of equipment, the diplomatic Dodgers are attempting to lower the cost by localizing
manufacturing.
ENYADIKE: Everything is expensive, whether it's the bats, it's uniform is expensive. The gloves. But what has happened now is we have the capacity to
produce gloves locally, and it's produced in Abuja, and there is efforts to create more and more, expand the capacities.
RUBADIRI (voice over): Keeping their eye on the ball, they see the potential of the sport for athletes across the continent.
ODOZOR: Africa actually holds the future of baseball in terms of the kind of numbers that we have. Over 65 percent of the young population of
Africans are right under 30-25 years, and of course, you know we have the fastest growing youth population.
So, the African youths are very, very endowed. They have the quality, they are very resilient, they are very committed, and most importantly, very
passionate about baseball.
And what we are looking at today is not just baseball. What we are looking at today is a movement of African athletes in this space, and it is left
for the business-minded people to tap into this opportunity.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: And that's it for this month's CONNECTING AFRICA. If you want to know more about the subjects we cover on this program, you can check out
our web site. Until next month, from me, Eleni Giokos. Let's keep on connecting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
