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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: FIFA Under Fire After Lifting Balogun's Red Card Suspension; Trump Set to Leave for Gathering of Leaders in Turkey; Russia Attacks Kyiv Ahead of NATO Summit; Death Toll in Venezuelan Quakes Reaches 3,500 plus; Main Funeral Procession for Iran's Supreme Leader. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired July 06, 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, a red card controversy hangs over the USA-Belgium game set to begin in just two hours after President Donald Trump intervenes
to overturn the suspension of a star player. Russia launches deadly strikes on the Ukrainian capital ahead of Tuesday's NATO summit, and authorities
now say more than 3,500 people have died after those deadly earthquakes in Venezuela. I'll speak to the founder of a relief organization who is now
there in Caracas.
One of the greatest names in the history of men's football, Cristiano Ronaldo, may have led Portugal for the last time after their loss to Spain
just a short time ago in the World Cup. The lifelong dream to lift the tournament trophy likely over now for the 41-year-old. Spain beat Portugal
1-nil to advance to the quarterfinals with a breathtaking goal in the 91st minute by Mikel Merino. Another twist in what has been just an unbelievable
tournament from match to match.
In just about two hours, the USA will take on Belgium in Seattle with the U.S. striker Folarin Balogun now available to play, despite his suspension
for one match after a red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina last week, President Trump personally asked FIFA's president to take a look at that
decision, with FIFA eventually lifting the suspension.
Gianni Infantino said, quote, "During our conversation, I explained there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA's independent judicial bodies
and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA's system works, and it is a principle that I will always
uphold."
Belgium tried to appeal that decision. It was denied. While UEFA, European football's governing body, said the integrity of the game is at stake.
President Trump says he only asked FIFA to take a second look at what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: All I did, I asked for a review because I didn't think it was a foul. And, you know, again, I'm good at this stuff.
If they wouldn't allow, you know, a top player, maybe the best, maybe among the best players on the team to play, I think it would've had a big stain.
And I related just that feel. I didn't tell him what to do. I can't tell him what to do. But -- and I don't believe he made the decision. I think it
was a committee that made the decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Well, Don Riddell from CNN World Sports joins us. Now, the fact is, a lot of folks in the sports world don't buy that statement, right?
They see undue influence here. That said, in an hour and 57 minutes, the whistle's going to blow, and that game's going to start, and the stadium's
still going to be filled with 70,000 fans, and millions of Americans and people around the world are going to be watching that game.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, for sure. I mean, we don't know if Balogun is going to start the game because this is another interesting sort
of wrinkle to this story. The American team wouldn't have thought that Flo Balogun would be available for this game. Up until this absolutely
extraordinary turn of events, it was very clear that there was no way that any teams could challenge these decisions, whether or not they thought the
red cards were fair or not in the first place.
So, they've been planning to play Belgium without him. Are they now going to put him back into the team? We shall see. I mean, there's no question
that Belgium are absolutely livid about this. Of course, the Americans will be thrilled that Balogun is now available to them because he has been their
breakout star in this tournament. He's their top scorer with three goals. He's caused problems against every team that he's played so far. So, of
course, they would want him available and to play a role in this.
But I mean, it's interesting hearing President Trump saying there would've been a real stain if he hadn't been able to play. I mean, the international
reaction to this is that this match and the integrity of this tournament has now been so tarnished by the events of the last 24 hours, and it really
does, though, feel as though a red line has been crossed. That's what UEFA have said.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
[18:05:00]
RIDDELL: I mean, they just can't make any sense of it. They said it was incomprehensible and unjustifiable.
SCIUTTO: Yes, I was listening to the sports commentary yesterday when the decision came down, and one of the U.S. commentators said, well now, the
world's going to be against that U.S. team. I mean, it could be a little -- it's a little hyperbole there, but there's definitely been something of a
switch, in least the public momentum. We'll be watching. I'll be doing my best to watch what happens on the field.
Of course, there was another game today, and it was a big one. I mean, Spain and Portugal. I mean, these are two contenders for the title. Spain
came out on top.
RIDDELL: Yes, absolutely. Spain are looking really good. Remember, they're the European champions. They were arguably the pre-tournament favorites
coming into this. They've got such a young, exciting team. They still haven't conceded a goal in this tournament. They will now play the winners
of the USA and Belgium.
Portugal have had an interesting run this tournament. They arrived with high hopes. They arrived with this much-vaunted midfield that was kind of
the envy of the rest of the world, but they never really got going. And the subtext to this game is that we would imagine that it's the last time we're
going to see the 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo in a major international tournament.
I don't think he's quite done. He hasn't said that he's going to retire, but I think he pretty much indicated in his press conference yesterday that
this will be it for major international football. So, a really disappointing end for Ronaldo, who was never able to quite match the
achievements of his great rival, Lionel Messi, because he wasn't able to win the World Cup with his country, Portugal. So, a sad end for him. But
Spain march on, and I don't think anybody will really fancy running into them.
SCIUTTO: Yes. It was sad to see him on the field afterwards the tears in his eyes. You know, listen, it's a tough end to what was, regardless, a
fantastic career. Don Riddell, thanks so much.
All right. So, let's talk more about this red card, the overturning of the suspension and, well, all the hullabaloo, if you want to call it that. And
joining us is Christina Unkel, a former FIFA referee herself and now football law analyst joining us from New York. So, good to have you on,
Christina. Thanks so much for joining.
CHRISTINA UNKEL, FORMER FIFA REFEREE AND FOOTBALL LAW ANALYST: Of course. Thanks for having me on, and I think you hit it on the head. There is a lot
going on in this situation.
SCIUTTO: There is.
UNKEL: I'm so happy to break it down.
SCIUTTO: OK. So, let's zero in on the moment of this because the referee, of course, allowed the play to continue initially without calling a foul.
It was after VAR review, it has been widely reported now and discussed that he did get the red card. My understanding, everybody's understanding
reading the rules, is that FIFA's protocols explicitly point to slow motion replays, that they should only be used for facts, positioning of a player,
et cetera.
Was there a mistake there in terms of -- as a VAR referee yourself, was there something wrong with that red card decision from the beginning?
UNKEL: So, the answer is no. I was one of the first MLS referees in VAR trained in this world to actually implement the VAR system. So, you can
tell -- you can say we spent a lot of time in the VAR protocol. And that line that everyone is kind of hanging on, saying that the process was
violated or broken, it is best practices, right?
So, when you are a VAR, a video assistant referee, and you're sending your center referee to the monitor to take a look, you first send them the, what
we call a still shot or a snapshot, which is what exactly we're looking at right now, is the point of contact and the mode of contact to see the
impact that's actually happening.
And then as a video assistant referee, a VAR referee, you then send the referee the video in showing 50 percent speed and then 100 percent speed,
and that is actually what happened. And even if -- and we actually do have the tape. That is actually what happened. But even if it didn't happen,
within the VAR protocols itself, how VAR is used, whether VAR is used, which is the electronic system, and in the way it's done, it's only best
practices, and you cannot actually appeal that practice itself.
And that is where a lot of this confusion is coming because nobody knows what the considerations were for the suspension to be suspended, so people
are now starting to speculate it may be on this slow-motion replay, which in effect would not be able to be appealed by the competition guidelines.
SCIUTTO: OK. So, now, let's get to the second decision which was to suspend the suspension. FIFA is citing Article 27, which as you know, this
is the first time a red card suspension in this tournament has been addressed under that provision. Is there something wrong with the way, in
your view, FIFA turned this over, overturned that initial suspension?
UNKEL: Pretty much so. I mean, as you said, it is a case of first impression. It's unprecedented. They effectively use this Article 27, which
allows them to have such broad discretion to kind of review anything and everything, not just what happens on the field, but also importantly,
things that could happen off the field, tournament administration. I mean, you name it, right? So, Article 27 allows them to have that.
[18:10:00]
Now, that being said, there are other articles within the tournament competitions that are specifically addressed to any kind of appeals to a
referee's decision, right? Whether it's a red card, yellow card, missed card, et cetera.
And those are very explicit, and leading up into this tournament, it was very clear that you could not appeal an automatic trigger of a red card.
And that is where Article 27, with all due respect, is being used as a loophole to basically get out of this red card suspension. It was an
automatic trigger. They said we can't do it under these other articles because it doesn't allow for it. How do we use Article 27 to say, yes,
we're going to go ahead and make a decision to suspend a suspension? It's the first time.
SCIUTTO: OK. So, when you set a precedent, other people cite that precedent, right? As they make their own appeals. I mean, has FIFA
effectively created a roadmap for people to appeal? I mean, I did see there's already an appeal of a yellow card decision earlier in the breakout
rounds. Are we going to see this? I mean, are the floodgates going to open?
UNKEL: Yes. And you know, everyone loves it when an attorney says slippery slope, right, or Pandora's box.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
UNKEL: But that's exactly what we have. And, you know, it was actually opened up, and I want to clarify that Article 27 was used by Ronaldo of
Portugal leading into this tournament where he had gotten a red card in a previous match, and one of his game suspensions was lifted. But like I
said, this is precedent for being in tournament.
Now, that being said, you hit it on the head. France itself had received a yellow card. There's something called yellow card accumulation. So, one of
their key players, Olise, would have to sit out next game. So, they are now considering and using Article 27 and petitioning, as well as England
yesterday is considering and petitioning the red card issue to one of their players in the game under Article 27.
And once again, like we said, slippery slope, nobody knows how Article 27 is being used. Nobody knows what the criteria is. No one knows what cases
apply to it. So, if you're looking for sporting advantage, and this is competition, then why not try to use Article 27? Because when there's a
vacuum as to the silence as to the reasons, then go ahead and try.
SCIUTTO: Yes, I was thinking. I mean, you see 1,000 appeals on the field at every game, right? You see players going to the ref saying, hey, no, it
was in, it was out, it was him, me. So, you can only imagine what happens off the field.
Before we go, let me just ask you a big picture question. Because you have the U.S. president calling his friend, the FIFA president, saying, oh, no,
I didn't tell him to overturn the decision. I just said, shouldn't we take a look at it? Didn't look so right to me. Whatever. Of course, decision
gets overturned. By the way, the U.S. is a host nation. You know, it happens before a big game against Belgium.
What does it mean for the credibility, right of the rules here? Is this a blow to credibility?
UNKEL: This is a blow. It is attacking to a certain extent, the competitive integrity of this tournament, right? It's very unfortunate. Our
U.S. men's national team hasn't had an incredible tournament, right? The players didn't ask for this. Balogun didn't ask for this. If anything, he
was class act and how he responded to a red card that no one thought it should be a red card.
So, having this -- and actually FIFA has statutes to, you know, governing countries and politics, trying to intervene into these types of situations,
having a rule against that, because to your point, it's the optics. And as lawyers, as judges, as referees, it's not just the actual, you know,
impartiality, it's the appearance of impartiality. And right now, that optic is being completely violated.
So, those who are upset at this, they're not upset because this is happening, they're upset at the overall competitive integrity and what it
does leaning forward into the game.
SCIUTTO: Yes, fair enough. Well, listen, I just hope it doesn't, you know, shadow the players too much, because as you said, Balogun was such a
gentleman, such a sportsman after this shook the hand of the referee said he didn't want to set a bad example for young soccer players watching him.
You know, listen, I hope they're able to escape this. Christina Unkel, great to have you on.
UNKEL: And great to have -- great to be on. Thank you.
SCIUTTO: Well, off the soccer pitch, President Trump is expected to leave for a crucial NATO summit in the next several hours due to meet with allies
in Turkey this week. Some hopes, perhaps of a show of unity, or perhaps a showcase of the widening rift in the transatlantic alliance. Allies not
meeting defense spending targets set by Trump have been a major focus of his White House. Even NATO members who are meeting or beating those goals,
such as Poland, have faced threats of U.S. troop withdrawals.
On the eve of the NATO summit, Russia launched another deadly attack on Ukrainian civilians, massive explosions lighting up the sky as missiles and
drones simply hammered parts of Kyiv. Ukraine says the Russian strikes killed at least 21 people around the capital, and they say they're just
running out of the air defense missiles they need to shoot those missiles down.
In Russia now, almost every reason of the country is experiencing a fuel as Ukraine has escalated its drone strikes on Russian oil refineries,
including one deep in Siberia.
[18:15:00]
Joining me now, Kristen Holmes in Ankara, where this summit will take place. And Kristen, I wonder what the president wants out of this summit,
right? My impression from speaking to European officials is they would call it a win if they just can get through it without the president creating
another rift or threatening to leave again or something. Does the president want something specific from this meeting?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I mean, Jim, as far as I can tell, President Trump is only coming because President Erdogan is
hosting and he considers Erdogan a friend. And it was conveyed to President Trump and his team that if he didn't come to this summit, that it would be
seen as kind of a shun to President Erdogan.
But for all I can tell in terms of actual NATO, U.S. officials are pretty wary that it's going to be a sign of unity, at least when it involves
President Trump. He has grown increasingly irritated both in public and privately at NATO. He has blamed them, claiming that they didn't step up
when the United States needed them, talking about when he launched the war in Iran.
Of course, European leaders have pushed back, some of them saying it wasn't legal for them to step in, others saying they were not even briefed before
this war took place. And then you have an entirely other part of this, which is going to probably be contentious, which is the Italian prime
minister.
We've seen this kind of reignited feud between Giorgia Meloni and President Trump after Trump told a publication in Italy that she begged him for a
photo with her at G7. She pushed back, saying, Italy and I do not beg. And then he seemingly doubled down on it over the weekend, saying that he
needed a restraining order against her. It's obviously not going to go over well with Italy. So, that's another recipe for some tensions here.
And in terms of what President Trump wants, it seems as though he wants the opportunity to kind of chastise these NATO allies for not meeting up with
their end of the deal, not just in terms of what I mentioned on Iran, but also in terms of defense and defense spending.
Now, European allies are going to come to the table with new proposed budgets for defense and defense spending, which they're hoping is going to
allay President Trump's ire. But it just doesn't seem all in all like it has the potential to be just a big kumbaya, but instead to be exactly what
you would expect. President Trump taking his grievances that he's aired publicly from the White House and on Truth Social and bringing them to
these allies to say it to their face.
And of course, there's always the potential that President Trump has a good experience in his meetings with these European allies, that everything goes
well and that he does end up in a place where those European leaders hope that he does. But when I'm talking to these U.S. officials, it just doesn't
seem likely at this time, given his animosity and how much it's grown just over the last year towards NATO.
SCIUTTO: Yes, so much of it is about right. The personal relationships and his perception of those personal relationships. Kristen Holmes, thanks so
much.
Well, Poland's foreign minister tells me how he thinks things will go following the summit. He expects the U.S. to further reduce its military
presence in NATO countries. Still, he says he thinks the rest of the alliance can work out its biggest differences with the U.S.
Earlier, I spoke with Radek Sikorski, Poland's deputy prime minister and foreign minister. Here's our complete conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: So, first, you have said that this summit will demonstrate Western unity, NATO unity to Russia. But I wonder, given that President
Trump is continuing in advance of this summit, his quite public attacks on several NATO leaders, is that unity possible when you see the U.S. leader
at odds with his allies?
RADEK SIKORSKI, POLISH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, we have the same threat assessment and we can bicker about levels of spending,
but still be good allies. NATO is stronger since Russia attacked Ukraine, two valuable new members, Finland and Sweden, and we are spending far more
on defense, partly under pressure from President Trump, where credit is due.
Since his first term, we are now spending in Europe double, and we promised ourselves last year, at The Hague, to double again by the end of the
decade. Poland is in the lead. We are spending 4.8 percent of our GDP on defense. The closer you are to Russia, the more you spend.
SCIUTTO: The trouble is I hear from European officials that even as they raise their spending, that they don't have the same level of trust in the
U.S. to come to NATO's defense. And some of them will say, and you're aware of this because some will say it publicly, that they're not getting really
anything in return, right, for that increased spending.
[18:20:00]
Do you -- does Poland have the same level of trust that the U.S. would come to its defense if Russia were to attack?
SIKORSKI: Yes, we do. And we have U.S. troops on our soil and we are asking for more including a second permanent base. We already have a
missile defense base which protects mainly America but also Europe. But look, if people mean it that they trust the U.S. less than they should be
spending more on defense, shouldn't they?
SCIUTTO: I understand that point, but as you know the U.S. has the largest military in the world and NATO was built around not just American
participation but American leadership and you have, for instance, the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, talking about further reductions in U.S.
troop deployments in Europe.
Is Poland prepared? I know that the U.S. has kept its promise to Poland but it's not clear it's going to keep its promise to other NATO allies.
SIKORSKI: Reductions are clearly coming and the U.S. is requiring us in Europe to have more conventional capabilities and for the U.S. to be more
of a cavalry over the hill kind of force. I think we can work this out. I think there is a way in which the U.S. can redeploy some of its
capabilities elsewhere but Europe can still benefit from so-called strategic enablers, the nuclear umbrella, the logistics, the intelligence,
the targeting data, the mid-air refueling and so on.
I think by the end of the decade we'll have conventional forces by European allies plus NATO 3 kind of U.S. role that Putin would be very irresponsible
to try to test.
SCIUTTO: As you know there's been some public debate as to the seriousness of Russia's threat to NATO. Might it attack a NATO ally? And Poland has
just warned, as you're aware, recently of the potential of attacks on the Baltic states. Would Americans, would Europeans be remiss to eliminate that
possibility? In other words, should they take that threat very seriously?
SIKORSKI: Well, I'm one of the people who is doing the warning because Russia cannot attack NATO in force. She doesn't have the forces. As long as
Ukraine is bravely resisting, Putin can't invade even the Baltic states. We would see it in advance just as we saw Russian forces gathering around
Ukraine in anticipation of the invasion.
But what they are capable of is some kind of provocation using false flags and drones, maybe Ukrainian drones, and then pretending to be responding to
our fake non-existing attack. They play those kinds of games and we have to be prepared. We have to tell them, and this is what we are doing, that we
knew that they are up to no good.
Remember during the previous administration before the invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. gave public warnings that Russia is scheming to manufacture a fake
reason for the war and that prevented the Russians from actually doing it.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
SIKORSKI: So, I hope that these warnings mean that Putin doesn't press the button on a provocation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: My conversation there with the Polish foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, joining me now, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Bill Taylor.
Thanks so much, Bill. Good to have you back.
BILL TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Thank you, Jim. Good to be here.
SCIUTTO: So, the last time we spoke, you said, and you were not alone in this, that Ukraine is now winning this war, particularly because of its
enormous advances in drone warfare. But yesterday, Ukraine said it could not intercept a single Russian ballistic missile because it's running out
of Patriot interceptors. And of course, Russia is aware of that. And by the way, that's why they are raining all these missiles down on Kyiv and other
cities.
Does that change the dynamic of this war if Ukraine is going to bleed so much with each of these attacks?
TAYLOR: They are bleeding, Jim. You're exactly right. That's the Ukrainians' one big vulnerability. They need the Patriot weapons to knock
down the Russian ballistic missiles that are being fired every day into civilian targets, into apartments. That's the Ukrainians' one big
vulnerability, which, by the way, they are dealing with. They are going to make, -- they are in the process of creating, developing their own
Patriots. They also have asked President Trump, of course, to be able to manufacture Patriots either in Ukraine or in Europe. So, they're dealing
with this issue, but it's a big vulnerability right now.
[18:25:00]
However, I continue to say that the Ukrainians are on the front foot. They have the initiative. They are firing deep into Russia, as you've been
reporting. They're killing, frankly, more Russians than the Kremlin is able to recruit. And they've got fiscal breathing room. The Europeans have
really stepped up on the economic side, on the fiscal side. So, yes, the Ukrainians are -- have the initiative and are moving forward and are
winning.
SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this. Is there something that could come out of this summit from European allies, maybe the U.S. too, although the
president has held back some of those interceptor deliveries? Is there something that could come out of this summit that could help Ukraine in the
near-term?
TAYLOR: To the extent that there are Patriot interceptors, they could be mobilized. The allies could agree to provide them. The problem is that
we've fired, the Americans and others have fired these interceptors in Iran to the extent that the inventories are very low. It takes a long time to
manufacture. So, there's just not that many. There are not enough of these things. So, that's why the Ukrainians are interested in building their own.
They can build them faster and probably more cheaply than we can.
SCIUTTO: Tell me your expectations of this NATO summit, because European officials have the lowest of expectations, right? I think if they just
survive another day, right, they'll call that, they'll call that a victory without a clean break with the U.S. What do you expect to come out of
Ankara?
TAYLOR: I imagine what should come out, Jim, is what came out of the G7, which can be done. You can get unanimity from these nations. The Europeans
are mostly united, are united, in particular on this issue that we've been talking about on Ukraine, supporting.
And as the Polish minister said, the closer you are to Russia, the more seriously you take that threat. And so, the Europeans are taking that
threat very seriously. And Donald Trump has even said a couple of things about how the Ukrainians are doing well.
We don't know what his view is going to be. We don't know. But it could be, like the G7, that Trump joins that consensus.
SCIUTTO: Yes. Admiral -- admiral. I called you Admiral. I upgraded you. I promoted you. Ambassador Bill Taylor, thanks so much for joining the show.
TAYLOR: You promoted me. Thank you, Jim.
SCIUTTO: Yes, it's better to be promoted than demoted, right?
TAYLOR: Thank you. I totally agree. I'd rather -- but I like being an ambassador.
SCIUTTO: All right. Ambassador Bill Taylor, thanks so much.
Still ahead, President Trump launches a new savings and investment plan for American children. So, what are the facts about these so-called Trump
Accounts. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, U.S. stocks rose across the board as traders returned from the holiday weekend. The Dow
closed above 53,000 for the very first time, yet another new record. And the NASDAQ rallied more than 1 percent thanks to strength in chip stocks.
Broadcom was a big tech winner, rising more than 3.5 percent. It extended a deal to supply chips to Apple through 2031. That's a long time.
President Trump made stock market history by ringing both the NASDAQ and New York Stock Exchange opening bells from the White House. The Oval Office
event marked the first day of trade for Trump Accounts, a new saving and investment vehicle for children. Eligible families can receive a $1,000
deposit from the U.S. government. President Trump urged parents to take part.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Even from the parent's standpoint, you know, they see their child getting richer and richer as the market goes up. If it goes down, they
don't lose anything, and they make money, they have money. But if it goes up, they can become actually rich.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: David Goldman explains exactly how those new accounts work.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR PRODUCER: If you are an American baby, the free money machine is open and it's about $1,000 that you are eligible
for if you apply. And, you know, it's not that difficult to do. All you have to do is be born before 2026. So -- well, you have to be born after
2025.
Now, this means that, you know, through 2028, you might have to get this extended. But if you are a U.S. citizen and you have a valid Social
Security number, you are eligible and all you can do is get $1,000 and then you're done. But if you want to contribute, you can put in $5,000 a year
tax free and you can put it in pretty much anything you want, including S&P 500 index fund, something plain and vanilla. That'll get the job done.
Now, if you want to take the money out, you need to use it for either a first home or retirement or crucially, because when you are 18, you can
take it out college. And if you don't use it for one of those things, you do get a pretty significant penalty, about 10 percent. And you can't take
it out until you are 18.
Now, what happens? Well, if you just left it there and you assume a 10 percent return, which has been pretty conservative for the S&P 500 over the
past 10 years, you walk away at 18 with almost $5,500. But if you do max out those contributions, well, it gets a lot bigger than that. Almost a
quarter million dollars by the time you are 18. And you can use it for college or buying a home. You can leave it there and let it grow through
your retirement. It really does give you a leg up.
So, I think a lot of people want to know, well, how do I get one? Well, if you have a child that is eligible, you need to fill out Form 4547. Very,
very subtle, or go to trumpaccounts.gov. Of course, everything with this administration is branded, but the free money machine is open and parents
should take advantage of this if they want to get this for their children.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Checking some of today's other business headlines. Microsoft is cutting more than two percent of its workforce, some 4,800 jobs. Hardest
hit will be the company's Xbox division. It has been suffering from a slowdown in video game spending, as well as a shortage of memory chips.
Four Xbox gaming studios will be spun off as part of the cutbacks.
President Trump says that Lockheed Martin Sikorsky unit will pay for a new White House helipad. Sikorsky is the company that builds the Marine One
helicopters. Trump says the granite helipad is necessary because new generation helicopters are ripping up the grass on the south lawn. Trump
says Sikorsky is footing the bill because it, quote, "felt a bit guilty about the damage."
U.S. carrier, EasyJet, has agreed in principle to sweeten -- to a sweeten takeover offer from the U.S. investment firm Castle Lake. The budget
airline rejected a series of earlier bids from the firm. The improved offer values EasyJet at more than seven and a quarter billion dollars. Castle
Lake plans to take the carrier private if it is able to seal the deal.
[18:35:00]
Straight ahead, nonprofits bringing some relief to Venezuela as it tries to recover from devastating deadly earthquakes. I'm going to speak to the co-
founder of Mercy Chefs after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto, and here are the international headlines we're watching today.
Before Donald Trump heads to the NATO summit in Turkey, deadly Russian strikes pounded Ukraine's capital and surrounding areas today. Ukrainian
officials say those strikes killed at least 21 people and wounded dozens more. Just massive explosions lit up the night sky. Kyiv's mayor says there
was damage and destruction in multiple parts of the city.
Cuba is slowly returning power after its electrical grid suffered its latest total collapse. The island nation is facing an ongoing energy
crisis, made worse by a U.S. blockade on oil shipments. The energy crunch is straining essential services, including medicine, education, and
transportation.
There are devastating scenes in China, where Typhoon Maysak battered multiple areas over the weekend. At least two people reported dead in the
southern Chinese city of Nanning. Separately, one of the strongest super typhoons on the planet this year, Bavi, has hit U.S.-specific islands.
You're looking at scenes shared on social media from Guam.
Venezuelan officials say the death toll from last month's twin earthquakes now stands at more than 3,500 people. Some outside agencies believe the
true death toll is much higher. The U.S. Geological Survey says there's a high chance it could exceed 10,000 people.
Officials gave no update on Monday on the number of people still missing. Though search efforts continue, the acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, is
ordering the deployment of more troops to help with recovery efforts.
[18:40:00]
Mercy Chefs is a non-profit providing hot meals to victims of this disaster as it has others. Co-founder Gary LeBlanc is now there in Caracas doing his
best to help. Gary, good to have you.
GARY LEBLANC, COFOUNDER, MERCY CHEFS: Thank you for having us on.
SCIUTTO: So, you have responded to disasters from Haiti to Turkey, other devastating earthquakes. But you say the need in Venezuela eclipses any
need you ever witnessed. Tell us how so. What are you seeing there?
LEBLANC: The damage is just so incredible. Twelve-story high-rise apartments that are reduced to four stories. And just knowing that the
40,000 to 50,000 people that are still missing are unaccounted for. People are living on the streets. We're seeing estimates that a million and a half
people are facing immediate humanitarian needs, and indefinite humanitarian needs could exceed 6 million people.
Mercy Chefs has been here in Venezuela for two and a half years. We've had five community feeding sites. Three of those were in the affected areas.
And immediately after the earthquakes, through our training and our partnership, they were able to switch to disaster-relief modes. And then,
of course, our U.S.-based strike teams were able to join them four days ago. And we've been ramping up numbers ever since.
SCIUTTO: You're feeding people in a country that was already facing food insecurity prior, which I imagine explains your previous presence there.
Given that, how hard has it been able to get food to the people who need it most?
LEBLANC: Well, our distribution models working through the local churches have been amazing. They're able to get not just on the main roads, but back
into neighborhoods. We always say that the greatest need is where the least resources are. And so, that's what we're looking for, is where's the
greatest need. And our teams are making it all the way into those pockets.
The folks here just want to help themselves. They want to help each other. It's been incredible to see the hearts of Venezuelans, how they just want
to be able to take care of their neighbors.
SCIUTTO: I wonder how able the government, the military as well, has been to provide support there. Are you seeing government resources in action as
well?
LEBLANC: We have. The government has been very much out and visiting. We've not had any direct support from them, but we've not seen any
interference either. The government here, I'm sure, is doing their best.
This is a disaster that most governments aren't trained for. And the preparation for these things are always good until it happens. And then it
seems like it's always greater than you could have anticipated the need being.
SCIUTTO: So, I imagine there are a lot of people watching, like myself, who, as they look at those scenes, those just entire apartment blocks
collapsing to the ground and all the need. How can people help you?
LEBLANC: Well, I think people can pray for Venezuela. And then folks want to get involved. You know, a gift today, we turn into a meal tomorrow.
Mercychefs.com is the best place to reach out. We have secure links to partner with us here in Venezuela. And you can follow along in real time
what we're doing here in the country. Mercychefs.com.
SCIUTTO: Well, Gary LeBlanc, we certainly appreciate the work that you're doing there. Our best to you and the rest of your team.
LEBLANC: Thank you so much. Hope we get to talk again soon with much better news.
SCIUTTO: Yes, I hope so as well. Well, coming up next, night is falling, yet the morning continues. A day of grief and anger in Iran as the funeral
procession for its slain supreme leader continues in the capital.
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SCIUTTO: Hundreds of thousands of mourners lined the streets of Tehran today as the coffin of Iran's late supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, made its
way through the city. The funeral procession route packed to capacity was a sea of flags. The ayatollah was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli strike in
the early hours of the war on Iran. His son Mojtaba, the current supreme leader, has not made a public appearance since then.
Our Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran for the funeral. CNN operates in Iran, we should note, only with the permission of the government, but we maintain
full control -- full editorial control of our reports.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Millions of Iranians taking to the streets as the procession commemorating
the late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, made its way through Tehran for hours. The crowds surrounding the trailer transformed into a
giant hearse.
PLEITGEN: This is as close as they're going to get to the casket of Iran's late supreme leader ayatollah, Ali Khamenei, as well as several of his
family members who were killed in that U.S.-Israeli airstrike on February 28.
As you can see, as we stand here, the atmosphere is extremely charged up. Many of the people here, and it's a big, big crowd, are screaming, and
they're vowing revenge, both against the United States, as well as President Donald Trump.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): While some Iranians oppose their government, the leadership says it's managed to mobilize an unprecedented number of people,
many carrying posters bearing the likeness of the late supreme leader, along with a simple message, Iran has a score to settle with America and
with Israel.
We've come here for the revenge of the blood of our leader, and we will not put this aside for one second, this woman says. And he says the objective
for being here is to take revenge against Trump and Netanyahu.
Absent from the funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his son and successor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who so far has not appeared in
public, communicating only via written statements since taking the reins.
But the people on Tehran's streets insist their new leader is in charge, their country stronger than before, and ready for another military
confrontation with the U.S. should negotiations fail.
Our message to Trump is, do not repeat your mistake, this man says.
As Iran lays its longtime supreme leader to rest, his message of confrontation with the U.S. endures, even as Washington and Tehran attempt
to negotiate an agreement for a lasting peace.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.
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SCIUTTO: Staying in the Middle East, French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in Syria in just the past several hours. You can see him here with
Syria's foreign minister. Macron is the first leader of a major Western nation to visit Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in 2024. He is
there ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, which the Syrian president is also due to attend.
Russia is facing a growing fuel shortage as Ukraine expands drone strikes on Russian energy sites, including the country's largest refinery. That has
led to long lines at gas stations and increasing frustration among ordinary Russians. Our Clare Sebastian reports.
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CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Two women screaming at each other over a spot in line at a Moscow gas station. Scenes like these
are becoming more common as intensifying Ukrainian drone attacks have caused fuel shortages and panic buying.
CNN's analysis has found that at least 50 of Russia's regions, well over half, are now officially reporting supply problems. Unofficial reports
coming from almost everywhere else. Lines outside gas stations forming from Moscow to Siberia.
And here in the Southern Krasnodar region, a video emerged showing two women berating a man for filling up a gas canister. Authorities have banned
this in multiple regions to prevent stockpiling. Other Russians are coping with humor, turning hours'-long waits into makeshift tailgate parties,
joking that the best place for a date night is waiting for a fuel tanker to arrive, and that Russia's most expensive perfume is now gasoline.
Well, this is getting so much attention that even Putin had to address this, warning that Ukraine's attacks are not just about causing physical
damage, but about what he called an information operation.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): In order to, at minimum, create uncertainty for us, or even better, to lead to a schism in
Russian society.
SEBASTIAN: All this could add to Russia's economic pain. Higher fuel prices mean higher inflation. But there is no evidence yet that it's going
to convince Putin to stop the war.
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SCIUTTO: Coming up, four decades, Paris's sand river was a toxic mess. Now, it's providing relief as the city battles a scorching heat wave.
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SCIUTTO: Parisians are dealing with record-breaking heat scorching Europe this summer by, well, taking a swim in the Seine. The river used to be a
popular swim spot, but over the course of a century became an urban cesspit. Swimming there was even banned. That, until the 2024 Paris
Olympics sparked massive cleanup efforts to restore the landmark to its former swimming glory. Melissa Bell has more.
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MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Forget climbing the Eiffel Tower. The cool new thing to do in Paris is to swim
beneath it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very quiet. Yes, very nice, and you can see some very little fish in the water, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We swim in Copenhagen, where we come from as well. So, we don't really mind, actually.
BELL (voice-over): Others are still a little hesitant.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have not, like, entered the water, but I think the idea of, like, lounging by the Seine is really cool.
BELL (voice-over): It's hard to imagine that the Seine River was once a toxic mess, home to half of Paris' untreated wastewater. In fact, for a
hundred years, swimming in it was strictly prohibited. Now, for the first time, for the second year in a row, public swimming areas will be open till
the end of August.
EMMANUEL GREGOIRE, PARIS MAYOR: First, I would like to guarantee them that the quality of the water is very good. Secondly, it's an amazing occasion
to discover Paris in a different way.
[18:55:00]
BELL (voice-over): A swimmable Seine was one of the pledges of the 2024 Paris Olympics. 1.4 billion euros were spent getting the river clean enough
for the athletes to compete in it, but the idea was always to give ordinary Parisians their river back, too.
BELL: A few years ago, the idea of swimming in the Seine River would have seemed crazy, but then again, this is a city in which it is often said that
the only sane thing is the river.
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SCIUTTO: Melissa Bell got a nice swim out of that. Finally, stunning pictures from space. This video of an aurora shimmering in the Earth's
atmosphere, taken by the European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot while on board the ISS. She said it is the most amazing one she has ever
seen on her mission. Adenot has now been in space for more than 140 days and has orbited the Earth just 2,000 times. That's a lot of round trips.
Thanks so much for joining. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.
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