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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: U.S. And Iran Reach Initial Agreement; Oil Plunges After U.S. and Iran Reach Initial Agreement; U.S. Official: Agreement Won't Require Israel to Exit Lebanon; California Governor Says He's Facing Trump Justice Department Probe; U.K. Moves to Ban Social Media for Under-16s; Russian Attack Damages World Heritage Site; Zelenskyy Arrives in Geneva Ahead of G7 Meetings in France; Far-Right Movements Gain Momentum on U.K. Streets. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired June 15, 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]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Paula Newton in New York. Jim Sciuto is off. You are
watching "The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, President Trump joins world leaders at the G7 meeting in France as details emerge about the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran
to pause the fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz while talks continue. Britain joins a growing list of countries moving to ban social media among
those under 16. And in about three hours, Iran take on New Zealand in their World Cup opener in Los Angeles. That story and plenty more coming up.
But first, President Trump is in the French town of Evian for the annual G7 Summit. The U.S. president and Tehran both claiming victory as they
announced they've reached an initial agreement. Mr. Trump announced that Iran will not obtain a nuclear weapon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: The main thing is that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. I fully agree to that with strong policing powers.
Hopefully it's going to be a good relationship and we're going to get along. And if we don't, we go back to where we started. But I don't think
that's going to be necessary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, the full text of the agreement hasn't even been released. President Trump insists it will come out soon. Iran's president describes
the Memorandum of Understanding as a major step, but says it's by no means a final agreement. Here's what we do know about it so far. The agreement
would end the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and start 60 days of negotiations for a more comprehensive deal.
Now, a formal signing ceremony is expected this week in Switzerland. Vice President J.D. Vance told my colleague Jake Tapper just a little while ago
that this agreement is a big opportunity for Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: The important thing about this agreement, Jake, is that everything, from what Iran gives us on the nuclear program,
and, of course, that's the most important thing, is the commitment, verifiable, to never building a nuclear weapon, all of these things come
along with benefits if Iran delivers and nothing if Iran doesn't deliver.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Stephen Collinson joins me now. I mean, Stephen, I am wondering about your thoughts. The vice president clearly believes that the United
States has leverage. What do you think?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes. And the fact that the deal has not been officially released, that I don't think is going to
be a politically sustainable position for much longer, not least because there is growing concern on Capitol Hill about what is in the deal and the
fact that the senators haven't seen it either, has a lot of them suggesting that this perhaps is not quite the powerful, quote, agreement that
President Trump hailed in France today. That is the question that is now starting to dominate Washington a day after this deal was announced.
I think we're going to see that be a great theme as we go through these talks. And one counter to what the vice president was saying, Washington
has tried this before. It's tried to offer Iran incentives, financial, for ending its nuclear program. This has always been a troublesome problem
politically inside the United States. And for even aspects of the regime in Iran, there are a lot of Americans who don't trust the fact that Iran will
get these economic benefits and then stop developing a nuclear weapon.
So, I think the administration is facing increasing pressure now to do more to explain exactly what is in this deal. And the fact it won't is adding to
analysis that a lot of people are worried about, that the president has pretty much just ended the war, but he hasn't attacked the causes of the
war, the nuclear program, which was why it started in the first place.
NEWTON: Which even Americans who aren't paying attention are going to come to the conclusion, well, what was it for then? You know, I will say, what
was it for? It has brought oil prices down and markets are up. But in your latest analysis, you argue the true test of Trump's agreement comes if the
fighting actually stops, and we're not even getting into Israel's reaction to this.
[18:05:00]
COLLINSON: Yes, and that is something that has angered the president. We saw just before the deal was announced, the president calling on Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop action in Lebanon against Hezbollah.
Clearly, Iran hopes that this deal will, you know, include protections for Hezbollah in Lebanon, its proxy militia. That's one of the big questions
that don't seem to have been addressed so far in any of the U.S. statements about the deal.
Another question that really worries Israel is the question of Iran's missile program. The president went into this war talking about disabling
that offensive capacity. We've heard very little from the administration about that too.
So, I think the fact that Lebanon keeps getting pulled into the crossfire is going to be a long-term impediment to this deal because there is always
the chance, and we've seen it happen multiple times in the last few weeks, when momentum towards peace can get upset by exchanges of fire between
Hezbollah and Israel.
And Iran has made it quite clear that it wants to protect its capacity to project power through Hezbollah as the peace process goes forward.
Washington believes this is a separate issue than the nuclear one, but as you know, the realities of the Middle East are that everything is connected
in that region.
NEWTON: Yes, and Iran has been very consistent on its demands. Stephen Collinson for us from Washington, grateful to you. Joining me now is
Democratic Congressman Ami Bera. He's a member of the House Foreign Relations -- pardon me, Foreign Affairs Committee and the Intel Committee.
Glad to have you on the program as we try and parse exactly what this Memorandum of Understanding says. It opens the Strait of Hormuz with the
caveat that with U.S. sanctions there would be relief. Is this a return to the pre-war status quo? Since -- as you just heard Stephen Collinson there,
so much has been undecided.
REP. AMI BERA (D-CA), U.S. HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: Yes, I think it probably does. There's -- we want to see what this MOU has in it. And
it's a start of a conversation.
Now, I'm glad that the Strait looks like it will get open. Hopefully that will provide relief to consumers, to folks in Europe and Asia as well. But
it sure sounds like we're headed to just a redo of the JCPOA, the deal that we had under President Obama.
So, what were the last three or four months for? Again, I don't think you've degraded Iran's ability and influence in the region. Unfortunately,
they've shown what they can do at the Strait. And again, a lot is going to be in the details in these next few months.
NEWTON: And yet, we don't know any of the details. If we look at everything that has to be accomplished in the next 60 days to make sure we
don't fall back into this pattern, what do you think will prevent either side from breaking the ceasefire? And again, as I was mentioning with
Stephen, not to mention the complication of Israel's actions.
BERA: Yes. So, I think President Trump legitimately understands that he's in a dilemma right now. And it is impacting him domestically, that there
really isn't a clear path to what he would determine as victory. So, I think he does want to get a deal.
I think Iran also understands that, you know, they're suffering. You know, their economy is in tatters. And if there is an opportunity to get some of
the sanctions relief, some of the relief for monies that are being held outside of Iran, they probably would go in that direction. Israel is a wild
card here because you do have Israeli elections coming up in October.
My first read is that the people inside Israel are not thrilled with this deal. And, you know, you have Benjamin Netanyahu who's on that ballot and
under extreme pressure from the right. Does he upset and continue to take actions within Lebanon against Hezbollah? I do think that that is going to
be a big variable here.
NEWTON: You know, many people give the president credit for at least isolating Iran as a threat, not just to the Middle East, but beyond. And
that's been going on for decades. And yet we're looking at a political timeline here. Some analysts argue that Iran may actually have leverage
during this period because the U.S. is politically constrained.
I mean, you could argue the political timetable actually ties America's hands in the negotiations. Are you comfortable with that? Because, again,
even if you don't agree with how or why or when this president started this action against Iran, you know, as an American lawmaker, you pretty much
have to be hoping for a win here.
[18:10:00]
BERA: Yes. I mean, it doesn't do us any good right now to re-litigate why we went to war and whether I agree with that decision. We are where we are.
So, what I would encourage the Trump administration to do is work with Congress, work with the House and the Senate. You know, the Obama deal took
a long time to come together. It also included our European allies, the Chinese, the Russians were part of that negotiation. I don't expect the
Chinese or Russians to help here, but I definitely would invite the Europeans in. I would invite our Asian allies in because at the end of the
day, a long-term peace is going to require those folks. And I would also invite the Arab nations in and maybe, you know, we can come out in a better
place at the end of this.
NEWTON: We don't -- I do need to go to some of the breaking news we had here, in fact, from California. The California governor, Gavin Newsom, he
had a statement about the Department of Justice and what he says is the Trump administration's interference in an investigation against him and his
family. Listen to him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): In recent days, federal agents have knocked on the doors of family, friends and former employees, not because they found a
crime, because they're simply trying to find one. They're abusing the grand jury process, digging through years and years of random documents.
Donald Trump isn't just coming after me because of my mean tweets. He's coming after me because I'm considering running for president because he
hates that I've consistently called him out over and over again for his lies and deceit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: So, I need to get your reaction to that. Those were quite the allegations against the Justice Department. I mean, what do you make of all
of this?
BERA: I mean, I think this is just another pattern in multiple efforts by Donald Trump to weaponize the Justice Department to go after his perceived
enemies. It's what's degrading confidence in the United States government. It's what's degrading confidence in the Justice Department. And I think
it's a travesty.
NEWTON: And yet, do you believe some of your GOP colleagues are uncomfortable with this? I'm curious as to what you're hearing from them.
BERA: You know, I've not heard anything about these specific allegations, but I do think a lot of my Republican colleagues are also concerned about
the weaponization of the Justice Department. Again, degrading its pressure. You're seeing a ton of U.S. attorneys decide to leave, and these are highly
sought-after jobs. These are usually some of the best attorneys in the country.
Again, a lot of them have left their posts. And it's supposed to be nonpartisan. Donald Trump has made it a very partisan, weaponized
department.
NEWTON: And we will see what comes out of that investigation. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate it.
BERA: Thank you. Be well.
NEWTON: And we are tracking breaking news. Eight crew members are believed to have died after a massive U.S. Air Force bomber crashed north of Los
Angeles. Video shows smoldering debris and emergency crews at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The base says the B-52 Strato Fortress went down
shortly after takeoff.
Josh Campbell joins us now from Los Angeles. I mean, we're still waiting for so many details to be confirmed from the military. But obviously, the
video is just heartbreaking when you look at it. I mean, it is so close to the runway, and yet right now they're telling us they don't know how this
happened. But the fact that, unfortunately, those crew members are presumed dead.
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that breaking news that we just got from the U.S. military saying that they do not believe that this
incident would have been survivable by the eight crew members that were on board this massive B-52 Strato Fortress bomber.
And just looking at some of those images, you know, originally, we saw video of this plume of smoke, black smoke coming up near the airfield. And
then as our affiliate helicopter got closer, you could actually see this large black burn scar there next to the runway. And one key indication
here, you don't really see any remnants of the aircraft still intact.
So, again, just truly looks like a catastrophic incident that happened. We still don't know why this occurred. We don't have information yet on
whether there was any type of call in distress by the pilots before this crash actually occurred. But again, as you mentioned, occurring just around
11:20 a.m. local time up in the Mojave Desert, north of where I am here in Los Angeles.
And this specific type of aircraft is one that is used in global missions. It's been in service for decades and decades. The U.S. military says that
it's capable of carrying an array of ordnance, including nuclear weapons, including precision guided munitions as well. We don't know specifically
what it was doing at this time.
[18:15:00]
The U.S. military routinely conducts exercises and training on a day-to-day basis involving its aircraft to continue readiness, to continue pilot
proficiency. Again, there are major questions still about what was actually happening here.
But the breaking news, Paula, sad breaking news coming from the U.S. military. They're saying they do not believe that for the eight crew
members that were on board this aircraft, that this would have been a survivable incident.
Final point I'll note is that the last fatal incident that we saw involving the B-52 was back in 2008, when one of these airplanes went down off the
coast of Guam, the airplane going into the Pacific Ocean, six crew members on board died, Paula.
NEWTON: Yes. And again, we have to point out the age of this fleet of B-52 bombers, which has been pointed out to us and won't be replaced for a
while. Josh Campbell for us. Appreciate it.
Now, coming up, new tensions between the Trump administration and Anthropic, why the A.I. giant is cutting off access to powerful models like
Mythos.
Plus, the U.K. joins a growing list of countries looking to put social media bans in place for children. What the Stormer government is proposing.
We'll have that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: And welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, an across-the- board rally on Wall Street on hopes the newly signed agreement between the U.S. and Iran will get the Strait of Hormuz fully reopened. Now, the Dow
rose to record highs. Tech was the biggest winner. The NASDAQ, you see it there, up more than 3 percent. Brent Crude fell to a three-month low, down
4.5 percent. It's now trading below $85 a barrel.
SpaceX rallied again after its historic IPO on Friday. Shares rose nearly 20 percent on their first full day of trade. That's unbelievable. The
company now says its IPO raised nearly $86 billion after underwriters exercised their right to buy more shares. That's more than $10 billion more
than was announced on Friday, which was already sitting at a record.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wants strict social media restrictions in place by the end of the year. Under the newly unveiled proposal, the
U.K. would ban social media access for children under 16 years of age. Our Nada Bashir reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is being described by the government as a watershed moment, and it comes after months of consultations being
held with parents, with industry leaders, with students as well.
[18:20:00]
According to government data from those consultations, they received responses from more than 100,000 people within those fields. More than 80
percent believe that the positive benefits of this outweighed the negatives. So, this is a significant landmark regulation. It is set to be
put before Parliament before the end of the year and it will be fully implemented according to the government early next year.
And on the whole, we've been hearing from parents, we've been hearing from adults, and clearly the messaging we've been hearing at this point is that
this will only be a beneficial development. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think kids need that kind of stuff right now, you know, especially at that young age. I didn't have social media until I
was 16. I loved life before that. And I think like a lot of insecurities I had were from, you know, interacting with stuff online. So, I just don't
think they need it right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I think it's a great idea. I feel like -- I mean, I've got a two-year-old, so I just kind of think about the future and
I feel like it's probably a really good thing to kind of put that ban in place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASHIR: There have been measures taken by social media industries to try to protect children using social media platforms. Meta, for example, has
introduced a series of child protection measures for their platforms, but this certainly takes things a step further in the United Kingdom. It's
focused on social media platforms, including the likes of Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, for example, but it's also focused on live streaming
platforms as well as other platforms that allow young people to speak with strangers online.
So, this is really focused on enhancing child protection measures and also ensuring that there is some sort of regulation around protecting children's
mental health as well while using these social media platforms. It does follow other countries like, for example, Australia, who have taken similar
measures, and it could be expanded. The government has said it is also looking at potentially introducing measures such as curfews for those under
the age of 18 to prevent constant scrolling at night.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Our thanks to Nada Bashir there. Now, Australia isn't the only country with social media bans for children. Malaysia and Turkey have
passed similar restrictions. Canada, Denmark and France are just some of the nations around the world working on legislation for those under the age
of 15 or 16, while China has measures in place to restrict children's screen time.
White House officials have been meeting with executives from Anthropic in hopes of settling their latest dispute over A.I. The dustup began Friday
when the U.S. placed export curves on Anthropic's Mythos and Fable 5 models. Anthropic says the U.S. government wanted to keep foreign nationals
from using those models, citing national security concerns.
Anthropic quickly took them offline for all users, saying it's the only way to actually ensure compliance. It believes the U.S. overreacted to a
potential jailbreak where users override built-in guardrails. Anthropic said if this standard was applied across the industry, it would essentially
halt all new model deployments.
Shelly Palmer joins us now. He's the CEO of the Palmer Group. He is also a professor of advanced media studies at Syracuse University. Shelly, it's
been a minute. Good to have you here to help us parse through this. I mean, Anthropic said the government did not provide specific details about
national security concerns.
But in a statement, the company implied that the method of what we call jailbreaking, which we're going to explain in a moment, that the
administration was made aware of that and it could have some reason led to the suspension. What more can you tell us about this, especially, you know,
what are the nuts and bolts of what the concerns are here?
SHELLY PALMER, CEO. THE PALMER GROUP: To be fair, Anthropic has been telling everybody that their models are dangerous. And Dario Amodei, the
CEO for years, has thought that they would attain AGI. They would be building models like they are today that actually build better models. And
ultimately, he thought the government would nationalize Anthropic.
So, why are they surprised when they've been scaring everybody for a couple of years and all of a sudden, the government took them seriously? The
jailbreak thing makes no sense because it was a minor thing. What's really important here that everybody needs to understand is that we've crossed a
Rubicon because now the most powerful A.I. models ever, which give us absolute access to the best superintelligence that's available, has been
restricted by a government, which means that some people will get it and some people won't. There is now a governmental gatekeeper on intelligence
and we've never seen that before.
For years, we've been treating all A.I. like software. We all understand software. We understand it has versions and we understand you can hack
software and we think about it in a very specific way. It's a product. But intelligence has never been a product and now it is.
[18:25:00]
And this particular product is now being regulated in a way that has no transparency, has no rhyme or reason, at the whim of the government based
on a verbal, hey, we think that we can jailbreak this, we're going to restrict it.
NEWTON: So, Shelly, you did mention, look, it's a whim of the government, but perhaps they have a point. As you said, the CEO of Anthropic himself
has alluded to the fact that he's worried about this. It needs guardrails. Are you saying that perhaps the longstanding battle between Anthropic and
the Trump administration had something to do with this?
PALMER: I don't know whether that -- you know, I can't speak for the Trump administration. What I can say is that the government may have a point.
Look, bad actors getting a hold of superintelligence is a bad idea. And restricting models to certain safety measures, you shouldn't be able to
make a biological weapon. You shouldn't be able to build a nuclear weapon. You shouldn't be able to build viruses.
There's a lot of things that should be restricted because they're just not good to have at the hands of anyone who presses a button. The question is,
where's that line? Where's transparency? Where's the due process of law? What is and what is not the right way to regulate this?
And more importantly, who gets to decide? Is it a government operative? Is it a bunch of scholarly individuals? Is it the Congress? This at the moment
is unclear to everybody. This came out of the blue. It was instant. And there was no way for Anthropic to comply. Anthropic couldn't. So, they had
to just pull the models. There wasn't any way for them to geofence a national. They just had to take these models offline.
It's not that this is right or wrong. It's the way it went down this week was disturbing, and especially for big business. Fable 5 is a great model.
It was out for about a week. Everybody started to deploy it. And then, boom, it was pulled. So, the cost to businesses everywhere was pretty
extreme also. Not in any way am I saying this is a wrong thing to do. Regulation belongs here. The question is, how is it going to be done? And I
don't think that's been thought through at all.
NEWTON: And for those of us who don't understand it as well as you do, what is the solution there, though, when you're looking at regulation?
Because there doesn't seem to be anyone, whether it's the Trump administration or Europe, that is taking a lead here to be able to develop
those safeguards that we all apparently need.
PALMER: So, for the first time in history, we are faced with something brand new. We are going to share the planet with intelligence decoupled
from consciousness. And I don't think it's up to somebody to decide. It's up to all of us to decide who gets to choose what intelligence is available
to what people and what is the intelligence that we're going to allow to be shared. We've never had this question before.
And the people we've elected aren't any better at it than we are. They may understand the law better than we do. They may understand society better
than we do. But we are society. And so, it is incumbent upon everybody listening to learn about this personally, roll your sleeves up, get your
hands on keyboard and become an expert at using the A.I. tools that are available right now, and then voice your opinion, because we cannot leave
this in the hands of anybody. We all have to decide.
NEWTON: Got you. OK, Shelly, noted. I'm writing it down. Beyond that, before I let you go, I don't have a lot of time left, but I do want you to
weigh in on the social media bans that are now growing in many countries. Will they work? Can they work?
PALMER: Look, there's no -- there's absolutely no substitute for parenting, but this needs regulation. Absolutely. And I applaud this. I
think every parent would applaud it. Every grandparent would applaud it. Now, the question is, how are the very, very, very resourceful children
going to get around this ban? Because, you know, they're going to try. So, this comes with an extra added burden for parents now, how you keep your
kid from not like getting around it. But on balance, social media needs to be reined in a little bit. And I think this is a step in the right
direction.
NEWTON: Yes. What do you know, Shelly, our kids or the younger kids will just ask A.I. how to get around those parental controls. They'll always
find a way to run circles around us. Shelly Palmer, really good to see you. Thanks so much. Really appreciate it.
PALMER: Take care.
NEWTON: Straight ahead for us, a Russian attack damages a World Heritage site in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the site and his
response to this attack after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
NEWTON: And welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Paula Newton here. The international headlines we're watching today.
Washington and Tehran are offering differing accounts of key issues in the initial agreement that was reached over the weekend. Now, under that
agreement, the U.S. would end its blockade of Iranian ports. Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz. And both sides would begin 60 days of deeper
negotiations. That's according to a senior U.S. official. President Trump, who is in France for the G7 summit, has suggested he won't attend a formal
signing of the agreement later this week.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is accusing the U.S. Justice Department of investigating him for political reasons. Newsom said in a video posted to
social media that the Trump administration is also targeting his wife. The Justice Department has declined to comment. Newsom is a leading Democrat
and a potential presidential candidate.
Singer Oliver Tree is believed to be among those killed when two helicopters collided over Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. He was listed as a
passenger on one of the helicopters. Firefighters say both pilots and all the passengers died. Officials say they are investigating the cause of the
accident Sunday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet with President Trump and other world leaders at the G7 summit in France. He says he'll push for
more air defenses. This as Ukraine reels from a Russian attack on a monastery in Kyiv. The Pechersk Lavra was founded in the 11th century. It's
one of the most important Orthodox centers in the Slavic world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mr. Zelenskyy toured the damage before making his way
to Evian in France for that G7 summit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Today we'll go now -- I will go now to G7 meeting. First topic you see was it a priority. The priority is
air defense. Then we will have meeting with Europeans and also with President Trump. We will speak with him about how to push Putin to stop
this war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Joining me now is William Taylor. He is the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, and I welcome you to the program. I am wondering how leaders in
that room should interpret the timing of Russia's strike. I mean, look, it's happening right before the summit, and Vladimir Putin knows full well
what will be discussed among those leaders at that summit.
WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER. U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: He does, and he falls into this trap all the time. He thinks that if he does big damage to
civilian targets in Ukraine, that will somehow shock the Americans or the Europeans into not supporting Ukraine. It is the opposite.
[18:35:00]
It is also the opposite in Ukraine. The Ukrainians are angry, outraged, insulted. This is a major -- as you just reported, this is a major event
for the Ukrainians. It's the Pechersk Lavra. As you say, going back to the 11th century, everyone who has visited there, every Ukrainian knows this,
and for Putin to attack this, it just increases the insistence, the determination that the Ukrainians will prevail.
NEWTON: I do want to ask you that we've been hearing more and more reports, of course, that Russia is on the back foot, that in fact they
can't even recruit troops as much as they would like to, especially going into this summer offensive.
President Zelenskyy, meantime, is arriving at the G7 saying that, of course, he needs those air defenses, and given everything that's gone on in
Iran, he may not get them. What can the G7 deliver that would actually change the balance of power on the ground? Because at this point, Ukraine
knows it is still falling short of what it needs.
TAYLOR: It's falling short of what it needs. And if President Trump is right, and if the Iranians are right, that is, there is the ceasefire, that
might free up some of these missiles, some of these Patriot missiles that can knock down these missiles that the Russians are firing at Ukraine.
So, that may free up some. More of these missiles are being made every day. They can be diverted now from the Middle East to Ukraine. And there are
also stockpiles of these, dwindling, reduced stockpiles, in Europe and in other parts of the world that can go. It's clear that they need these, the
Ukrainians need these.
Ukrainians are also shooting deep at the Russian military targets where these missiles are manufactured. So, they've got ways to do this as well.
You're right, the Ukrainians are on the front foot, the Russians are on the back foot. The Russians are hurting in terms of manpower. They are losing
territory as opposed to gaining territory. All they have are these long- range missiles that can do damage to civilian targets in Ukraine.
NEWTON: And they certainly do, despite the interceptions. I just want to remind everyone, I mean, even just the other night, you're talking about
hundreds, hundreds of drones and missiles that are targeted on Ukraine, and that's just in one night.
So, what everybody is thinking here is that we need to get some kind of negotiated settlement. Where do you believe the biggest gap is right now
between what Donald Trump is thinking and what European leaders are thinking? And what would be your advice to those European leaders and
Canada and Japan trying to get the United States to force Russia in some way to at least come to the negotiating table?
TAYLOR: That is the key, Paula. That's exactly the key. It's not the United States, it's not the Canadians, it's not the Europeans. The problem
is Putin. And you're right to say, how can those nations, the G7 nations, put pressure on Putin?
And that can happen by a clear demonstration of support for Ukraine when Zelenskyy is there with them to demonstrate to Putin that the support from
the Europeans, from the Americans, from the Canadians is solid and will persist, and that the damage that the Russians try to inflict on Ukraine
will only increase the resolve of Ukraine's allies. So, that needs to be the focus of attention, which is Putin's resistance to this.
He's on the back foot. Sooner or later, he's going to look for a way to end this war. And that's going to be the ceasefire that the Ukrainians are
after.
NEWTON: I only have about 30 seconds left. Do you believe that Donald Trump is still a stumbling block to trying to get anything done here?
TAYLOR: So, the Americans are less involved. As you say, they've been focused on Iran. The negotiators, apparently, we only have two negotiators
in the whole government that can work on this, and they've been working on Iran. They have not been working on the Russia-Ukraine issue. The Europeans
are stepping up. And the Ukrainians don't expect, really, don't have high expectations about the Americans, but they do have expectations about
putting pressure on Putin.
NEWTON: And we will see where this leads in the following days and weeks. Ambassador William Taylor, always grateful. Thank you so much.
Next for us, a dramatic shift to the right. Another weekend of unrest in the U.K. as the far-right gains more and more traction. We look at what's
driving the current sentiment.
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[18:40:00]
NEWTON: U.K. police have made several arrests after clashes between far- right demonstrators and counter protesters over the weekend. It follows violent disorder in cities like Belfast last week, with much of the anger
aimed at immigrants and ethnic minorities. As Jomana Karadsheh reports, it's part of an alarming trend of far-right rhetoric gaining mainstream
popularity in the U.K.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Leftie scum off our streets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's take our country back.
JOE MULHALL, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, HOPE NOT HATE: There is a magma chamber of anger sat underneath British society right now.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Britain's been shifting to the right. I've spent the past few months trying to understand what's
happening in this country. No one speak to the media room. Attending far- right protests, including Unite the Kingdom, one of the biggest far-right rallies ever.
On the streets of the U.K., where tens of thousands responded to the call of this man, anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson, a convicted criminal
turned anti-establishment figure.
TOMMY ROBINSON: Are you ready for the battle of Britain?
KARADSHEH (voice-over): But it's not just on the streets, and it's not just the extreme right that's on the up. The populist right-wing party
Reform U.K., led by long-time Trump ally Nigel Farage, made massive gains in local elections in May.
This rightward shift isn't one single movement. The different groups represent different shades of right-wing politics, but they all seem to be
feeding off of a divided Britain. At the heart of those divisions is the issue of migration.
Just this week, a horrific attack by a Sudanese refugee on the streets of Belfast almost immediately turned into the latest I told you so moment for
the far-right, transforming a local tragedy into a national rallying cry. Powerful allies amplifying the message and fanning the flames of hate.
MULHALL: People in Britain are angry.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Joe Mulholl infiltrated far-right groups, undercover here in the U.K. and in the U.S. He's one of the U.K.'s top
experts on these movements.
MULHALL: You know, if you look at the way that people's lives have been, you know, lack of jobs, houses, schools, hospitals, stagnated wages, living
standards going down or stagnating for years and years, and they feel that mainstream political parties have not met their material needs. What the
far-right are really good at is going to those people, and they turn up and they say, you're right to be angry, and they give them a scapegoat. And
they say, it's because someone has come to this country and taken it from you. They're really good at redirecting people's anger from where it should
be directed.
[18:45:00]
KARADSHEH (voice-over): I've seen exactly what Joe's talking about. There have been hundreds of protests across the country over the past year,
according to activists tracking far-right movements. It's mostly been about migration and how consecutive governments have dealt with this issue.
And with the center-left Labour Party back in power for the first time in two decades, the far-right senses conditions are ripe for a resurgence.
It's in tight-knit communities like this one in the sleepy market town of Faversham outside London, where we saw it all play out late last year.
Walking through town with a protest organized by a far-right activist, you see those divisions and feel the anger.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shame on you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't -- touch me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shame on you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shame on me?
KARADSHEH: Right now, they're marching towards this facility where unaccompanied minors, asylum seekers, have been housed in this town.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): They're a loud crowd, but it's clear there are more noise than numbers. And you do see locals coming out to confront them.
CROWD: Refugees are welcome here.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): The main event kicks off with a rambling mix of racist rhetoric, fear-mongering, and white supremacist conspiracy theories.
HARRY HILDEN, ANTI-IMMIGRATION ACTIVIST: They're teaching about Mohammed and Allah. We will not tolerate our children to be taught about LGBTQ and
not prone as a belief what they can identify as. We will not tolerate that around here.
PAUL GOLDING, LEADER, BRITAIN FIRST: Keep up the pressure and one day you will be victorious.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): At this one tiny town's protest, we find one of the leaders of the U.K.'s extreme right.
GOLDING: Our country's been taken over by mass immigration. We're fed up. This is not the future that our grandparents and great-grandparents fought
for in two world wars. They didn't fight for this to be done to our country.
KARADSHEH: So, you want a white Britain?
GOLDING: We want our country to be like it was before this immigration invasion was foisted on us. Yes. You mentioned far-right, neo-Nazi, all
that a minute ago, as if that kind of stuff, that doesn't hold any power anymore. You must have learned this from Trump's victory. No one cares if
they're called racist anymore. Those terms are just used to silence people.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): The re-election of Donald Trump is not only an inspiration for this one extreme right figure. At every far-right event
I've been to, it is a constant theme. Trump's Make America Great Again has come to the U.K.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is MEGA. Make England Great Again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump is the man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have so much respect for President Trump. He is saving not just America, he is saving the West and he's saving the world.
KARADSHEH: You're wearing this because?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I'm a Donald fan.
KARADSHEH: What is it that's going on? How much of this is really influence from the U.S.?
MULHALL: There's no question they're a huge influence. When the far-right is small little fringe political parties, that sounds fanciful. When you've
got Donald Trump in the White House, the most powerful man in the world, they can then point someone and say, look, it's happened there. If it can
happen there, it can happen here.
KARADSHEH: Are we headed into a direction where the far-right is turning into a significant political force in Britain?
MULHALL: I think there's no doubt about it, right? The far-right is no longer something that sits on the very margins of our politics in Britain,
an annoyance to the right. It is increasingly something that actually has the real chance of taking power in Britain.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): The once fringe voices seem to be moving into the mainstream. It's a small but vocal minority that's threatening to change
the face of Britain. Now, they believe their moment has arrived.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Coming up for us on "The Brief," tiny island nation Cape Verde shocking the world in their first ever World Cup match.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:50:00]
NEWTON: Uruguay are facing Saudi Arabia in their World Cup opening match right now at this hour. And about two hours from now, Iran will take on New
Zealand on U.S. soil. Now, earlier, the small island nation of Cape Verde earned a shocking draw against current Euro champion Spain. Patrick Snell
is in Atlanta, where it all went down and it shocked many, didn't it, Patrick?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Hi there, Paula. Yes, it absolutely did. Thousands right here in the fan zone in the heart of downtown Atlanta.
Packed in, thousands watching on the big screen. Of course, I'm about quarter of a mile away from the stadium.
But what a result for Cape Verde playing in their first ever World Cup. And they get a point in their very first game. But it's who they did it against
that matters so much here, Paula. Against the reigning champions of Europe, Spain, La Roja, the 2010 world champions, no less. This is a valuable
point. And it means that they have the heroics of their 40-year-old goalkeeper, to thank Vozinha, who plays in the second tier of Portuguese
football. With the match of his career, he made a whole string of saves, seven in total. Imagine playing in your very first World Cup at the age of
40. Seven saves. And after the match, you could just tell he was fighting back tears. The emotion in his face, really, really, really powerful to
see.
But what a very impressive performance by Cape Verde. They had said ahead of the tournament, look, don't write us off. We're here to make everyone
sit up and take notice. Words to that effect. That was their head coach, Bubista. I tell you what, they started off very nicely. And they'll
probably go into their second game against Uruguay and Miami on the weekend now with renewed confidence.
For Spain, it's back to the drawing board. It's not a disaster of point in their first game. But it is a match that they expected to win quite
comfortably. And a plus point for them is that they did get Team Finam, Lamine Yamal, back playing again after that hamstring injury. So, he came
on with the last 20 minutes or so.
NEWTON: Yes, a little bit of a wakeup call for Spain is not a bad thing after all, especially given that Cape Verde gets to celebrate it all. I do
want to talk to you, though, about the debut match for Iran on American soil. As we said, they will be pitted against New Zealand. How do you
preview this match?
SNELL: Yes, this has been far from ideal preparation for Team Melly (ph). They're playing and about to play in their seventh World Cup, and they've
never, ever got out of the group stages in any World Cup. So, really, really important that they can try and do that this time around. But as has
been very, very well documented in terms of geopolitics, the preparation for them ahead of this tournament has been far from ideal, not even allowed
into the country. Their training base has been in Mexico, not even allowed into the U.S. until 24 hours before kickoff. Far from ideal preparations
for any elite level football match, especially when it comes to the World Cup. Let's hear now on that very topic from one of their star players. Take
a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEHDI TAREMI, Iran STRIKER (through translator): You see several countries and players were caught up in visa issues. There were changes to camp
arrangements and such pre-tournament tensions before the World Cup began, which meant that the spirit, the excitement and enthusiasm that people
usually associate with the World Cup can be lost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[18:55:00]
SNELL: You can just hear there, you can just tell it's not been easy in terms of preparation. I think right now, Iran's football is absolutely want
to try and let their football do the talking and try and make a really powerful statement of intent on the field of play as well.
And it's important they get off to a really good start and pick up all three points against opponents New Zealand, because if you look at their
very next match against Belgium, that one is going to be very, very tough indeed. So, important they get something up on the board, three points
ideally, then they can build on that against Belgium. And hopefully that will, from their point of view, potentially see them through out of the
group stages for the first time in their history, which would be quite a storyline. Back to you.
NEWTON: In fact, it will be, especially given everything going on. Patrick Snell, grateful to you there from Atlanta. Appreciate it.
Now, in tonight's Good Brief, Romeo and Juliet. It is a tragic tale of love and all that stood in its way. And this time it was a cat. The furry
performer interrupted the Imperial Russian Ballet Company's rendition of Shakespeare's play in Turkey. You see the cat there even pawing at Romeo's
hair as he laid dead on stage or simulating death. The cast -- the show must go on, right? The cast continued. The cat climbed onto a prop to watch
the rest of the show, thought, I've got a good seat, why not? And he followed the play to its, appreciate the tragic end there and appreciate
the cats having nine lives.
That does it for "The Brief." I'm Paula Newton in New York. Stay with CNN.
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[19:00:00]
END
