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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: Israel and Iran Pause Attacks; Iran Warns of New Attacks if Israel Strikes Lebanon; Ukraine Reports Battlefield Progress; OpenAI Files to Go Public; Iranian Government Uses Control of Internet to Stifle Dissent; High Security as Trump to Attend NBA Finals; Sky-High Ticket Prices Have Many Mexican Fans Feeling Left Out. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired June 08, 2026 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, "THE BRIEF": Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington, and
you're watching "The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, Iran says its attacks will resume if Israel attacks Lebanon. This comes as President Donald Trump has urged both Iran and
Israel to stop shooting. Ukraine's top military commander says his forces are on the move this year, recapturing a major chunk of territory occupied
by Russia. And high security in New York City as President Trump is set to watch the Knicks and Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Those stories and
much more coming up.
We begin in the Middle East where Iran is warning that it will resume attacks on Israel if Israel continues to strike Lebanon. Iran launched
missiles towards Israel over the weekend in the worst escalation since the sides reached a ceasefire back in April, in response, Israel launched its
own airstrikes, hitting targets inside Iran including this petrochemical plant.
Later, after speaking with President Trump, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced that he had halted his attacks on Iran for
now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): At the moment, the fire has ceased, because after we struck the terror regime in
Tehran, it stopped attacking us. If the terror regime in Iran makes the mistake of attacking us again, we will respond with force.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Despite all this, the U.S. president still insists a deal with Iran is close, saying that, quote, final negotiations on peace are
proceeding subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in the way. CNN Global Affairs Analyst Barak Ravid spoke with the President for a story in Axios.
Trump told him that he warned Netanyahu not to return to war with Iran, and if he did, Israel might find itself on its own.
Kristen Holmes joins me now from the White House. And Kristen, I know the president's pronouncements, a deal is close, though we've heard that
before, as you have said many times on the air. Is there any sense, fear, concern in the White House that the President is losing control of or
influence over both Iran and Israel?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think the biggest concern is what exactly happens with the relationship between Netanyahu and
President Trump moving forward. We know that they entered into this conflict together pretty much in lockstep. Those initial strikes came from
the U.S. and Israel. But it has been growing more and more apparent, and this is something we knew, but now you're starting to see it, that both men
have different objectives when it comes to this war.
And it seems as though we are seeing a kind of fork in the road here. President Trump is trying to assert his control over Netanyahu because that
is part of the leverage that he brings when he goes to the negotiating table with Iran, saying that he can control what Netanyahu does and stop
Netanyahu from these attacks on Iran. Although now we have him saying that he is going to tell Netanyahu not to retaliate -- telling him not to
retaliate, and then having Netanyahu, in fact, retaliate against Iran.
Now, what we are hearing from a U.S. official was that, in fact, it was much worse what Netanyahu had planned for Iran before President Trump
called this kind of massive attack or significant Iran attack into Iran. Before President Trump kind of walked him back in that phone call. We know
they had two phone calls in a matter of roughly 24 hours, but it doesn't bode well for the kind of control that Trump wants to project he has over
the situation. And he continues to say, I control what's going to happen, I'm in charge, Netanyahu will do what I want him to do, but then we have
one very clear example of him not doing so.
Also, this idea that Netanyahu won't take any kind of strikes against Hezbollah in the southern part of Lebanon off the table. That's just simply
not off the table right now. And that's something that President Trump has encouraged Netanyahu to do.
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So, we'll have to see, again, how this plays out. I will tell you, and I know I've said it a million times before, but I do have to give the point
of perspective from the White House and senior U.S. officials I'm talking to they still say that they're optimistic, that a deal can be reached
between the U.S. and Iran, some kind of diplomacy off-ramp here. But again, of course, Jim, we've heard that before.
SCIUTTO: We have indeed. Kristen Holmes at the White House, thank you. In a CNN exclusive, a top Iranian official has said he does not see, quote,
"serious will" from the U.S. to reach a framework deal, Ebrahim Azizi told CNN that he has no problem pushing forward with peace talks with Washington
as long as the U.S. side is acting in good faith.
Azizi spoke to our colleague Fred Pleitgen. A reminder that CNN operates in Iran only with the permission of the government, however, maintains full
editorial control of its reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: President Trump also says that an agreement between Iran and America is close for peace. Do
you agree that it's close? And are the negotiations still going on?
EBRAHIM AZIZI, HEAD OF NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN POLICY COMMITTEE, IRANIAN PARLIAMENT (through translator): We don't think that he's honest,
but we have said many times that we accept a negotiation as a continuation of the battlefield. We consider negotiations to be part of the battle. If
we could be convinced that there is sincerity in the Americans, especially in the president of the United States, and if we could reach confidence
that they are people of negotiation and that they also submit to the rules of negotiation, then the Islamic Republic would have no problem with
negotiating.
PLEITGEN: What are the biggest sticking points now in the negotiations?
AZIZI (through translator): We do not see a serious will to reach a framework that could actually be implemented. And I think with regard to
Iran's blocked assets, this is in fact a very clear and prominent example of that. As for uranium, enriched materials, enrichment itself and nuclear
issues, we are not currently negotiating on those matters. There is no discussion of them, because it is not intended that we should have
negotiations on those issues at this stage.
PLEITGEN: Will there be a peace agreement between the United States and Iran?
AZIZI (through translator): It depends on the behaviors that we observe from the other side. If these same behaviors continue, then no, we do not
have any trust at all. And with this lack of trust, it's not possible for negotiations to continue. And naturally, when there is no possibility of
continuing, there is no result either.
But if those conditions that the Islamic Republic of Iran has specified are fulfilled, and if in practice we see that reflected in the country's
national interests, especially in the economic sphere, financial matters, banking, sanctions and the issue of Lebanon, which is very, very important
to us, we will by no means back down on the issue of the resistance front, its members and especially Lebanon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Our Fred Pleitgen there speaking with a senior Iranian official. Well, in another war we're following closely, Ukraine's top military
commander says that his forces have now recaptured more than 600 square kilometers of territory so far this year. It's about 230 square miles.
Oleksandr Syrskyi says that last month alone, Ukraine had a net territorial gain of 100 square kilometers, nearly 40 square miles. This after here in
the U.S., the House passed a bill to provide some aid to Ukraine. That measure now goes on to the Senate, where it faces an uncertain future.
Only 15 Republicans voted in favor, among them Congressman Don Bacon, Republican from Nebraska. He says that the House speaker, Mike Johnson, of
course, a Republican as well, encouraged Republicans to vote against the bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DON BACON (R-NE): When it comes to the House, the speaker has not wanted his -- not wanted to get in front of the president on this. And so,
he lobbied pretty hard and we call it whipping against this vote. I think he was wrong.
I've waited for a year and a half in this Congress to get something done on Ukraine, and we've done nothing. There's been no votes, no policies from
the leadership here or the president to support a country that's fighting for its life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Eighteen Republicans, as opposed to 15, voted for it. Joining me now, Democratic Congressman from the great state of Tennessee, Steve Cohen.
Thanks so much for joining.
REP. STEVE COHEN (D-TN), U.S. HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: You're welcome. Good to be with you. I'm from the great City of Memphis, not the great
State of Tennessee.
SCIUTTO: Well, fair enough. I think it's in the state though, right? I got that much right.
COHEN: You wouldn't know that from dealing with the Tennessee General Assembly.
SCIUTTO: Understood. Well, I was in Tennessee recently. It's nice to have you on.
COHEN: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: So, the House, after much effort, which you've been involved in months and months to try to get this across the finish line, finally got it
across the finish line. I want to ask you this, because you heard Don Bacon there say that the House Speaker whipped against this, encouraged
Republicans to vote against it, despite the fact that when Johnson brought a support package for Ukraine to the floor back in 2024, he said that such
aid was critically important and that doing so was the right thing.
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How do you respond to that change from the House Speaker, but also President Trump's continued, it seems, opposition to such support?
COHEN: Mike Johnson isn't really the Speaker of the House. He does the mechanics of running the House day to day, kind of like a domestic staff
would do in a hotel. They change the linens and pick up the trash. But as far as the policy goes, Donald Trump makes the policy, and he has made the
House a subservient administrative branch of the executive committee, executive branch. And that's totally not what the founding fathers
intended.
The House was supposed to be an equal part of government. The legislative branch should check on the executive, and the House and Senate together
would be independent bodies, and they're not. Thune has some backbone. Johnson's an amoeba.
SCIUTTO: OK. On the issue of Ukraine, as you know, the majority of your Republican colleagues in the House, same in the Senate, support Ukraine, at
least they said they've supported Ukraine, but have not backed that with their votes. What's your response to that? And when you speak to your
Republican colleagues, how do they explain to you their opposition to such aid?
COHEN: Well, what Representative Bacon said was exactly right, that there's a large number of people that would like to support Ukraine and
feel like it's the right thing to do. Ukraine is defending the Western world and the entire world against fascism, against authoritarianism, and
against conquest by force, which is an antithetical to all that the United States and the Western world stands for after World War II with the
Helsinki Commission and rules about not taking territory by force. We've been a part of that. We're a member of the Helsinki Commission,
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, but we don't necessarily practice it here.
Trump is too close to Putin, and there are things about Trump and Putin's relationship that will come out sometime in the future, sometime it'll be
known, but it's not something that is healthy for America, and it's healthy for Putin, and it's healthy for Russia. Trump has a Russian obsession. He's
wanted a hotel there. He still wants a hotel, just like he wants a ballroom. He won't quit until he gets what he wants, whether it's good for
the American people or not.
And we know that in 2016, you know, Mr. Mueller was correct that there was -- in 2016 and in 2020, there were Russian influences on our election, and
Trump denied them. He went after Mueller and said nasty things about Mueller when he passed away. There's just a blind spot for Trump with
Russia. And when he was in Helsinki, and he said -- Mr. Putin said he didn't do anything, and I'd have no reason to believe he didn't. Well, he
had reason to believe. His entire Intelligence Community told him he did. But he took Putin's word, and then later he kind of back-stepped with some
double negatives.
SCIUTTO: To another war, of course, we're following closely, and I know you're watching closely, and that is the war with Iran. As you see fire
break out again over the weekend, not just from Iran towards Israel, but Israel towards Iran and Israel continuing towards Lebanon, while the
president says that a peace agreement or at least a framework ceasefire or something is at hand, do you have the sense that President Trump is losing
control of this war?
COHEN: I think he's lost control of it. He didn't go in with an exit plan. He didn't go in with a secondary plan. He thought he could just use air
power and bomb them into submission. He killed much of their leadership, but they've got new leadership that's maybe worse than the previous
leadership, and he hasn't succeeded in getting the nuclear material he calls the nuclear dust, but -- the enriched uranium out of Iran. So, he
hasn't made them less likely to have a nuclear weapon. They claim they don't want one, but they obviously do, and so you've got a problem.
Trump said this will not continue, these peace negotiations to fruition, unless stupidity and ignorance get involved. Well, Trump is a poster child
for stupidity and ignorance, so I guess we're not going to have a peace treaty.
SCIUTTO: I want to ask you about politics, because as you know, in the state of Tennessee, Republicans redrew the map that carved up your Memphis
district, and it was, of course, the first state of many to pass a new district since the Supreme Court ruling weakening the Voting Rights Act.
You've since announced you are not seeking re-election. What is your message now to voters in your district who may no longer have the option or
any likelihood to elect a representative of their choosing?
[18:15:00]
COHEN: Well, I've asked everybody to support Chaz Molder, who's running in District 5 as a young Democrat, and London Lamar in District 9, and Ms.
Kuhn in District 8. I support the Democrats who are running. I think they've all got a tough uphill battle, because when they redistricted, they
made all those districts 20 or 23 plus Trump versus the election of 2024. That's a hard number to overcome.
I think Chaz can do it. Chaz Molder, I don't know that anybody else can do it, and it's difficult. And it takes away from the African American vote in
Memphis that's had a congressman of their own for all these years. It was not a voting rights amendment district. It was one that just grew
independently of all factors and became majority black. And they elected Harold Ford Sr., Harold Ford Jr., and then me. I've been in there for 20
years and haven't lost a precinct in a re-elect.
So, what it says is the African American population in Memphis, the majority minority population, chose a white guy because I did the work. And
they knew I was honest, I worked hard, and I delivered. And that's something that people should be emphasizing instead of emphasizing if
they're talking about all other kind of issues.
But the fact is, the Tennessee General Assembly didn't care that I was the fifth most effective Democrat in different studies that were done by the
Vanderbilt and University of Virginia political scientists, that I passed the lottery in Tennessee that's brought over $8 billion to education,
something like never before. They didn't care because they cared what Trump wanted. Trump wanted it to happen.
The governor's term limited. He wants to get a job from Trump when he goes out of office, whether it's an ambassadorship, a cabinet position, or an
agency position. And they sold Tennessee out for the good of Bill Lee to remain in government and to get a job from Donald Trump.
SCIUTTO: Congressman Steve Cohen, we appreciate you joining.
COHEN: I appreciate your professionalism over the years. You're one of the stars. Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Kind of you to say. Well, as we continue to focus on rapid new developments in Ukraine, joining me now is retired U.S. Army Colonel Peter
Mansoor. He's now a professor of military history at the Ohio State University. Colonel, good to have you back.
COL. PETER MANSOOR, U.S. ARMY (RET.) AND PROFESSOR OF MILITARY HISTORY, OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY: Great to be on, Jim.
SCIUTTO: I know you've been watching the Ukraine war very closely from the very beginning. May, as we reported a few moments ago, second month in a
row where Ukraine has not just held the line, but made a net territorial gain, gaining back territory that Russia occupied since the full-scale
invasion. Would you go so far as to say that Ukraine is now winning this war?
MANSOOR: Not yet, but we may be at the turning point. Ukraine has developed a system of drones that have eviscerated the Russian supply
lines, made it impossible for Russian forces to advance. And as we've seen lately, are even able to allow Ukrainian troops to retake ground. It isn't
a lot yet, but it could be the beginning of something much more significant.
And if Ukrainian forces are able to continue this success and expand on it, we may be reaching a point where Putin has no choice but to negotiate an
end to the conflict. Because negotiations are much, much more possible when both sides see they have more to gain from negotiating than they do from
continuing to fight.
SCIUTTO: Is there another possibility that concerns you? Because I remember and reported back regarding late 2022, I was the first to report
this, that when the war was turning against Russia then, it was losing ground, it was losing Kherson, which had been one of its prizes of the
invasion. There was concern on the Russian side that its forces were being surrounded. The U.S. assessed that Russia was considering the use of
tactical nuclear weapons in response to that. Do you see any circumstances now that might push Russia to escalate as opposed to sue for peace, in
effect?
MANSOOR: Well, escalating the use of nuclear weapons would be a hugely significant step. And the question is, is what sort of back-channel
negotiations are taking place between the United States and Europe and Russia saying, if you do that, if you go down that road, this is what's
going to happen, and laying it out for Putin and deterring him from taking that step.
And quite frankly, I'm not sure that tactical nuclear weapons are going to do all that much for Putin because the front line, because of the drone
constellation overhead is pretty thinly manned. Only the use of strategic nuclear weapons on Ukrainian cities would be significant, but that would be
an entirely different ballgame and would bring us to the brink of potential nuclear exchange.
SCIUTTO: Yes. I mean, just an awful situation to imagine. As you know, the U.S. has long ago reduced its military support for Ukraine nearly to zero,
though it still sells weapons, you know, via Europe, but it's now even reducing some of the air defense missiles that it supplied.
[18:20:00]
You do have the House finally voting to move forward some aid package with an uncertain future, both in the Senate and if it were to reach the
president's desk. Has the U.S. in effect, with this long pause in reduction in aid, missed the boat to some degree here? As Ukraine changes the
momentum in the war, is the U.S. just less relevant to this conflict than it was before?
MANSOOR: Well, I think that's absolutely the case, but you know, necessity is the mother of invention. The U.S. backing off arms deliveries has forced
Ukraine to innovate, and they have innovated exceptionally well. They have now created air-to-air drones, in effect creating fighter aircraft out of
drones. They have created a strategic bombing force out of their drones. They are the leading nation in the world in the creation and use of drones,
eclipsing the U.S. military by far. We are way behind the power curve, as I think the war with Iran has shown.
SCIUTTO: Yes. And now, you have the world reaching out to Ukraine for its help, right, in developing this technology. Colonel Peter Mansoor, good to
have you back. Thanks so much.
MANSOOR: Thanks, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Still ahead, the parent company of ChatGPT is gearing up for another massive A.I. IPO, the big announcement from OpenAI and its impacts
on the overall A.I. industry. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, a mixed start to the trading week on Wall Street. Tech stocks recovered some of the ground they
lost after Friday's sell off. A.I. chip giant Micron was a big winner. It shares soaring almost 10 percent on news. It has been added to the S&P 500.
It was a mixed session for major U.S. air carriers. The International Air Transport Association says industry profits could be cut in half this year
because of Middle East flight disruptions and those high jet fuel costs. Richard Quest spoke to Willie Walsh, the director general of the IATA
earlier. He says at least one big industry concern is now off the table.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIE WALSH, DIRECTOR GENERAL, IATA: I think the thing that people are relieved about is the concern about supply of jet fuel. I think that's gone
away. There was, if you go back four or five weeks ago, concern that the industry wouldn't be able to get sufficient fuel to manage through the
summer period.
[18:25:00]
But I think that's either gone or significantly abated. There will be other challenges, air traffic control delays, the border problems. We've seen
these before. We'd prefer not to have them, but we're able to adapt. So, I think it'll just be a normal summer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: IATA, as it's known, says the number of airline passengers worldwide will top 5 billion this year. That's a rise of two and a half
percent from 2025.
So, add OpenAI to the growing list of major U.S. tech firms, especially A.I. firms planning to go public. The parent company of ChatGPT has just
announced it has confidentially filed for an IPO with U.S. regulators. A.I. rival Anthropic announced its IPO plans just last week.
Also, today, Apple announced a new version of Siri called Siri AI that it hopes will be better able to compete with ChatGPT and other A.I. chatbots
like Claude. Apple investors did not seem impressed with the news, though. Its shares finished Monday's session down.
Joining me now is Clare Duffy. I want to ask you about the new Siri, but first to OpenAI. I mean, listen, the market seems to be valuing these
companies at just exorbitant, exorbitant prices. Should we expect similar for OpenAI?
CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yes, Jim, this is one of the most highly anticipated, if not the most highly anticipated IPOs this year. OpenAI was
the company that kicked off the A.I. revolution with the launch of ChatGPT. And it, along with Anthropic and SpaceX, going to make their public
listings this year, are expected to create huge opportunities for everyday investors to get in on these very buzzy startups.
But it's also going to be a huge test of the market's appetite for A.I. firms, especially if we see -- as we've seen investors raise questions
about other big tech companies, about whether this A.I. spending spree is going to continue.
Now, OpenAI's filing, this was confidential, so we don't yet have details about the number of shares it plans to list, the price that it will be
listing them at. But eventually, this should give us a deeper look into the finances of this very important company. OpenAI most recently valued at
more than $850 billion. But there have been questions about whether it can generate enough cash to keep pace with its own massive spending on compute
and data center growth.
The company also says that it hasn't yet decided on a date for this IPO. And it offered sort of an interesting, vague explanation as to why it says
it may be a little while, because there are things we want to do that are likely easier as a private company. But this confidential filing gives it
the opportunity and the option to file it earlier if it decides that is the best case.
And many people have been viewing this as a race between OpenAI, Anthropic, and SpaceX to get to the public markets faster, to hopefully capture that
investor excitement sooner. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said previously he doesn't see this as a winner-takes-all scenario. But you have to imagine
that is at least one of the factors they're weighing here as they look at when they decide to make this listing.
SCIUTTO: Yes, just another, well, close to trillion-dollar company that, you know, a while ago that was a rarity or just didn't seem possible. Now,
they seem to be popping up every other day. Let me ask you about Siri, because of course, you know, the rub had been that Siri's just not up to
snuff with other A.I. chatbots. And all of us have had our frustrations with Siri, sometimes not understanding our questions or not giving us the
answers we expected. So, should we expect much better from Siri AI?
DUFFY: Well, this was a long-awaited announcement. Apple teased these updates to Siri, adding new A.I. capabilities at WWDC two years ago. And
then it had to delay those plans. Its A.I. models were just not there. Now, the company says it's partnering with Google to power this new Siri AI. And
if it works as Apple says it will, this could be a major transition for this 15-year-old A.I. assistant.
It is expected to be a standalone app, and it will also work throughout customers' devices. It's expected to understand what customers see on their
screen, be able to use that to answer questions, also use the personal information from consumers' devices to help answer questions.
So, for example, Jim, if you and I had dinner plans, I could say to Siri, find me directions to the restaurant that Jim sent me in text, and it could
go through and use that information to answer those questions. That could be really helpful because Apple does have a lot of information about its
consumers. I think the question for many investors watching this is whether this promise will in fact come true, given the delays that we've seen from
Apple on this new Siri previously.
SCIUTTO: Well, it'll all be -- the proof will be in what the answers are like when you ask it, right? Clare Duffy, thanks so much.
Well, checking some of today's other business headlines, President Trump's plan to charge U.S. businesses $100,000 for each new H-1B visa has been
struck down in federal court.
[18:30:00]
A federal judge ruled Monday that the president has no authority to impose the new fees. He says it's something that Congress, with the power of the
purse by the Constitution, must approve instead. The case was brought by a coalition of Democratic state attorneys general.
South Korean stocks sold off sharply Monday, with the benchmark Cosby index falling more than 8 percent. Shares in chipmakers such as Samsung and SK
Hynix led the decline. The South Korean index has been flying high this year due to, well, like a lot of the markets, A.I. enthusiasm. It is still
up more than 70 percent to date. South Korea's president said Monday he still believes the country's stocks are undervalued.
Driverless taxis powered by artificial intelligence will soon be weaving their way through the streets of London. British firm Wave is teaming up
with Uber to launch the service this summer. It will be the first time London residents will be able to hail driverless vehicles. Wave says it has
been testing the technology in London since back in 2018. The first rides will be supervised by a licensed human Uber driver to ensure safety. Where
are those old London black cabs?
Well, coming up on "The Brief," Israel pausing its retaliation amid U.S. pressure following Iran's missile strike. So, who actually has the upper
hand in this war and how are the Iranian people feeling? We'll discuss next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto and here are the international headlines we're watching today.
At least 35 people are dead after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the southern Philippines. Terrified students ran for cover. As you see there
when the shaking started Monday morning. In other areas, buildings collapsed. There was also a landslide. More than 100 aftershocks have since
followed. More expected near the epicenter of this quake.
[18:35:00]
President Donald Trump has now formally nominated Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to fill the role on a permanent basis. He sent Blanche's
nomination over to the Senate today. Blanche needs a simple majority vote for confirmation. That vote, however, could be complicated by his handling
of the Epstein files and his attempt to create a controversial fund to benefit Trump's allies.
Iran and Israel both say they have suspended military operations against each other. Those declarations follow an exchange of strikes that
threatened to shatter the ceasefire reached back in April. Some said it didn't look much like a ceasefire this weekend. A U.S. official says
President Trump has asked the Israeli prime minister to hold off on further strikes against Iran. The prime minister, for his part, says Israel will
respond with force if Tehran attacks Israel again.
Joining me now is Holly Dagres, senior fellow at the Washington Institute and curator of "The Iranist" Substack. Thanks for joining.
HOLLY DAGRES, SENIOR FELLOW, THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE AND CURATOR, THE IRANIST" ON SUBSTACK: Thank you for having me, Jim.
SCIUTTO: So, the president claims victory in this war. He has many times over. He also is claiming that a deal for a ceasefire is at hand. I wonder,
in your view, does the region see the U.S. as having an upper hand in these negotiations in this war or Iran?
DAGRES: Well, it depends on which country in the region you're asking. If you're asking the Islamic Republic of Iran, they are declaring victory. And
it's ironic because their operations against Israel over the past year, they've called it Operation True Promise 1, 2, 3, 4, et cetera. But they
called this latest attack Operation Victory.
So, I think in their view, the fact that they've been able to survive this war yet again and close the Strait of Hormuz, in their eyes, they're
victorious.
SCIUTTO: Is Iran interested in coming to a negotiated settlement here, or do they see interest in stretching this out?
DAGRES: Well, I think they want to get maximum concessions out of this. We've heard from a senior Iranian official that they're asking for $24
billion. And they want to make sure that another war doesn't happen in the near future. And I'd argue and say that they do need that sanctions relief.
That's a Band-Aid on their dire economy, especially after yet another war. And Iranians are suffering.
So, I don't think that'll necessarily address the systemic mismanagement and corruption. But I think it will help alleviate some of the real U.S.
dollar conversion rate.
SCIUTTO: OK. Tell me, in your context with Iranians, which I imagine are easier now given that the internet blackout has been lifted for now, where
are their minds and their hearts right now? Is there a sense of hopelessness? Have they lost hope for real change? Because there was a
moment, you've described this and others, at the start of this war that they thought that perhaps it would rid them of a regime that's deeply
unpopular.
DAGRES: Well, yes. If you were an anti-regime Iranian that had taken part in that uprising in January that resulted in the massacre of thousands,
you're looking at this and saying, wow, the president of the United States said that help is on the way and promised arguably regime change. And now,
he's sitting across the United States, that is, sitting across from these people that had massacred or slaughtered them.
And so, there's a real sense of hopelessness from anti-regime Iranians. And they're feeling like nobody is listening to them. There's no talk of human
rights during these negotiations that have been ongoing. And even yesterday, you know, this internet shutdown, you just noted, is bad. The
internet's partially back on, but Iranians are really worried again about being cut off from the outside world yet again.
SCIUTTO: Now, you have written a piece in The Atlantic just recently about a new technology that could help alleviate this dependence, really, on when
the government turns the spigot on and off here. It's called direct-to-sell communications. Can you explain what that is and what difference you think
it would make?
DAGRES: Sure. So, I would say that since the 2009 post-election protest known as the Green Movement, 35 percent of the most popular websites have
been blocked in Iran. And so, there were typically Iranians were using stir convention tools, but now we've just seen the country's fifth Internet
shutdown, the longest globally.
And since the 2022 Women Like Freedom uprising, there's been these Starlink kits being smuggled in the country. There's 50,000-plus users, but they've
actually been seizing those during the war and accusing those people of being spies on behalf of the U.S. and Israel.
So, we're coming to realize, actually, we need to think more strategically. And direct-to-sell, I would say, is the next frontier. And basically, in
essence, it means that the next generation of cell phones connect to the next generations of satellite issues directly. So, you're not going to need
a Starlink kit.
[18:40:00]
And so, that's really the frontier that we should be looking at.
SCIUTTO: And what would be required for that to happen? I mean, is there some switch that has to be flipped, right, to allow Iranian cell phones to
directly contact satellites?
DAGRES: Well, so technically the new technology is coming out next year, but what we really need is to make sure that the rules and regulations for
this new technology actually addresses shutdowns imposed by countries like Iran.
And so, there's an upcoming conference in Shanghai, and we really need to make sure that the United States and other Western governments actually
push for these spectrum rules to include these shutdown situations, because otherwise authoritarian governments like Russia, China, and Iran will
actually dictate those rules and regulations in these upcoming conferences.
SCIUTTO: But can the U.S. and its allies do that if the authoritarian regimes around the world who very much enjoy and take advantage of being
able to control their citizens' access to technologies like this, does the U.S. need them, and its allies, does it need them, or can it do it on its
own?
DAGRES: Well, I think because there's this telecommunications union, which is a U.N. body, there's some rules and regulations that are involved in it,
and one of the issues we realize is that under the current Trump administration, they actually withdrew from multilateral organizations or
institutions, and so that means potentially the U.S. might not even be in the room when these discussions are being had about rules and regulations.
So, we need to make sure that the U.S. is back in these conversations.
SCIUTTO: We'll see if that happens under this administration, given its relationship to international organizations. Holly Dagres, always good to
have you on. Thanks so much.
Well, something lighter to turn to. New York City has been waiting more than, well, close to 50 years for this moment, but with the Knicks set to
play the NBA Finals on their home turf tonight, with the possibility of a long-delayed championship, there is super tight security for President
Trump, because now he's coming, and that is changing those fans' ability to celebrate. We'll have the details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: It's all about basketball fever in New York City with the third game of the NBA Finals tipping off in just a couple hours at Madison Square
Garden. The hometown Knicks now hold a two-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs. They took both games in San Antonio.
[18:45:00]
And with both President Donald Trump and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani set to separately attend tonight's game. Security is high. The NYPD and U.S.
Secret Service have established what's called a ring of steel perimeter around the garden and surrounding areas. Also, long waits for fans coming
in to watch that game.
CNN Law Enforcement Reporter Mark Morales joins me now. I mean, can you describe the resources that are now being put into place here, given that
the President and the New York Mayor are both going to be in that room?
MARK MORALES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTER: Well, I'll put it to you this way. Law enforcement made it a point to say to everybody that has a ticket,
they said there's going to be so many resources and security is going to be so tight. Make sure you're here two hours before the start of the game.
And as you can see behind me, we have a lot of people from here who actually heeded this advice and listened. So, we still got some time before
tip-off, but these crowds are here. These are ticket holders. They're here to watch the game. They've all got in here. And they're getting psyched up
as time goes by.
And it's interesting to watch how this area around Madison Square Garden, the attitude shifts as we get later in the day. Way before tip-off, like in
the middle of the afternoon, it was more tense and it was more about security and a lockdown. And the closer we get to tip-off, the more that
excitement is coming through the crowd, like you're hearing Jalen Brunson chants, crowd chants. And that's all part of this massive presence here,
because you're seeing a massive security package as well.
If you look here, you'll see these barricades that are designed to keep people who are not supposed to be here out. You'll see these giant blocker
vehicles here too. And that's to prevent from ramming attacks. And this is all part of what the head of the Secret Service here in New York told me
was an effort to keep this to be the most safe basketball game ever played at Madison Square Garden. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT MCCOOL, U.S. SECRET SERVICE SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: For this particular event, it's the NBA Finals. It's going to be 20-something
thousand people there. This is New York City. So, it does come with challenges, but it's challenges that we've dealt with very successfully in
the past. We're going to have a multi-layered approach here. We're working with federal, state, and local partners. We have the best police department
literally in the country that's got it -- that's on our team.
So, we're super confident in the plan tonight. You know, it's a multi- layered approach at all possible threats and potential threats. So, I'm super confident in what we're doing tonight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORALES: We're expecting President Trump to arrive here in the 7:00 hour by helicopter and then by motorcade the rest of the way. And he's got his
whole protection package with him. That's counter-assault teams, counter- sniper teams, drone detection, intelligence units. They're all working together to make sure that this is one of the safest locations in the city.
Jim.
SCIUTTO: Mark, I got to ask you, when you talk to fans there, are they frustrated by all this security and the long lines?
MORALES: Well, as you know, it's the hottest ticket in town, which means it's the most expensive ticket in town. And for those that couldn't make
it, they would be outside Madison Square Garden at their watch parties. And there are a lot of fans that we spoke to today who are upset and sad that
they won't be able to be outside of Madison Square Garden to watch this game.
Now, there are other watch parties in the city. You've got one at a nearby Wollman Rink and at Bryant Park. But still, people want to be near Madison
Square Garden. And of course, I'm sure you've seen those massive crowds outside of 7th Avenue once the game is over. But that's not possible with
the president coming.
SCIUTTO: Indeed, Mark Morales, thanks so much. Well, it is three days and counting to another big sporting event. That is the World Cup. Tournament
co-host Mexico will face off on its home turf, playing South Africa at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City for the opening match of what is the largest
football spectacle on the planet, arguably biggest sports spectacle.
Altogether, Mexico will host 13 of the tournament's 108 matches. But despite so much action happening in their own backyards, sky-high ticket
prices mean many fans in Mexico will be watching from outside the stadium, much like here in the U.S. Our Valeria Leon looks at why this year's World
Cup has much of Mexico feeling left out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For a country that lives and breathes soccer, this World Cup remains out of reach for many. Sky-high
ticket prices and just a handful of matches on home turf leaving many Mexican fans feeling left out. Francisco Ferreira compares access to
Mexico's past World Cups to this one.
FRANCISCO JAVIER FERREIRA, FOOTBALL FAN (through translator): It doesn't feel the same. Back then, it felt like Mexico's World Cup. Now, it feels
like it belongs to the United States. And the ticket prices, they're impossible.
[18:50:00]
LEON (voice-over): The opening match in Mexico City with some tickets now selling for as much as $16,000 on official FIFA sites and on resale sites
even higher, a staggering amount that puts this tournament far out of reach for all but the ultra-wealthy.
LEON: In Mexico City, the average family earns just over $2,000 a month, roughly the cost of a single ticket. And in a city where many local fans
were able to attend World Cups hosted here in 1970 and 86, many feel they've been priced out.
LEON (voice-over): But the frustration started months ago. FIFA's lottery- style sales system, designed to manage global demand, left thousands without access even at base prices.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I haven't been able to get tickets, but if I do, I'll be there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I hope Mexico wins. But either way, I just want it to be exciting. A good show, of course.
LEON (voice-over): At this rate, the cheers of Mexican fans will mostly be heard outside the stadium.
Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Still ahead, bunk beds for the jet set. Air New Zealand is unfailing the sky nest. Even economy class passengers can upgrade to it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: So, ever want to get a good night's sleep on a long flight? Here's a new idea for air travel. So, you'll wonder perhaps why they didn't
think of it before. Air New Zealand is now rolling out bunk beds on long- haul flights. They call them Skynests. They are an add-on feature for economy class passengers. Richard Quest talked to the CEO of Air New
Zealand about the new offering.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIKHIL RAVISHANKAR, CEO, AIR NEW ZEALAND: You can rent each one for up to four hours. So, there's a session, really, you're booking. And you enter it
through the front, not the side.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE AND CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: Climb of a stepladder?
RAVISHANKAR: Yes. And the sessions all start at the exact same time.
QUEST: I was going to say, you don't really want people getting in and out at different times, do you?
RAVISHANKAR: Precisely, yes. So, it's -- you start at the same time and the session finishes at the same time. And on our flight from Auckland to
New York, there are two sessions that you can take. You have 12 opportunities to book a Skynest.
QUEST: And I assume you're going to have to be very careful that somebody doesn't book it and then tries to change over passenger halfway through.
RAVISHANKAR: All of that stuff, yes.
QUEST: So, that, you know, I'll have the first two hours and my wife will have the next two hours.
RAVISHANKAR: That's right. We -- I mean, that's one of many scenarios we've had to almost invent in terms of procedures on how we manage. You
know, and by and large, it's also through the lens of safety. You know, we need to know who's in the Skynest at any time. You know, turbulence
management procedures. Yes, it's been very exciting, actually.
[18:55:00]
QUEST: How did you get the thing certified? And the reason I ask is so many airlines are having such difficulty certifying new business seats.
Now, this is a fairly standard thing, the seat. You've got beds. How did you get it certified?
RAVISHANKAR: I mean, one of the great advantages of operating in a country like New Zealand is we can be fairly nimble and agile, not just within the
airline, but also with the stakeholders we work with. So, our Civil Aviation Authority have been very progressive, but Boeing have helped the
seat manufacturers being very helpful.
But it's been a long, complex process. And there's one more round of certification to do when it actually physically gets installed later this
year on the aircraft. But yes, it's been quite the adventure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: I wonder how they wake folks up after the end of four hours. That's my question.
Finally, tonight, you may think twice about that summer dip in the Mediterranean after this. A great white shark recently spotted off the
coast of Sicily. Conservation divers who were removing abandoned fishing nets from a shipwreck caught it on video. This may be the first underwater
footage captured of an adult shark in the Med. As shark sightings there are, we should note, extremely rare.
Well, thanks so much for joining me today. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
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