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What We Know with Max Foster

Israel And Hezbollah Agree To Renew Ceasefire; Italian FM Cancels Trip To U.S. Over Trump Comments About Meloni; Acting Director Of National Intelligence Bill Pulte Eyeing Major Job Cuts; Labour's Andy Burnham Wins U.K. Parliament Seat; U.K. Police Respond To Train Collision In Bedford. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired June 19, 2026 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:00:35]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: A new ceasefire in the Middle East, but talks with Iran aren't going anywhere.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

Mediators have managed to secure a new ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah in this effort to save a U.S.-Iranian peace agreement. Talks

between the U.S. and Iran were supposed to begin in Switzerland, with Vice President J.D. Vance leading the Trump administration's delegation, but

they've been postponed. A diplomat tells CNN Iran wants guarantees the Lebanon war will end before it begins detailed talks.

Before news of the ceasefire emerged, Israel carried out blistering strikes in Lebanon. Lebanon says at least 47 people were killed. The Israeli

strikes were a response to a Hezbollah attack that killed four Israeli soldiers operating in Lebanon.

Many Lebanese are deeply skeptical of the truce.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The agreement is good, and we all want an agreement, but the Israelis don't abide by it. How many times have

they made agreements? More than once. They don't commit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There is no agreement. For us, there is no agreement. This is invalid. Nobody takes anything seriously,

neither from Netanyahu or Trump. What's happening in the South is absolutely terrible. Honestly, what ceasefire?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: CNN's Nick Robertson following developments for us from Zurich.

And I know you're all set up there, weren't you, to cover this? There's a big operation around this, you know, these talks, but they're just not

happening. Just explain why they're so connected to what's happening in Lebanon and what you think might happen there.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, we were up with the talks venue today, Max. It's an utterly serene, beautiful, peaceful

place. Exactly the place you'd want to put negotiators away from that domestic pressures in a secluded environment where they can feel that they

can get on with some of the tough negotiations that lie ahead of them.

We -- and while we were up there, we could see the security was still in place. So although there was nothing major like the proper talks happening,

it's clear that the Swiss is sort of keeping this place with its security lockdown, which creates that impression, you know, which is in line with

what we're hearing from the Iranians saying they're working behind the scenes with mediators to move forward on the talks and the fact that

Hezbollah and Israel have some sort of ceasefire going on between them. So it all kind of frames and makes a pathway to get back to the possibility of

talks.

But you're absolutely right. I mean, Lebanon's front and center. Lebanon's the reason, or at least Israel strike in Hezbollah. Hezbollah also killed

four IDF soldiers overnight. Zero escalation in bombing runs by the IDF following that. That was the reason the Iranians weren't coming to the

table that appeared through the day wanting, as you mentioned, to get these guarantees.

Look, you know, stand a little bit back from this. Lebanon is that issue that in of itself, the Hezbollah-Israel conflict is decades old, is

incredibly difficult to resolve in of itself because it's included and Iran wants a Lebanon ceasefire included in the broader peace discussions with

the United States. Because it's included, it puts all this pressure on to speed up a process that's been failing, frankly, for a number of years.

So putting it together quickly, this ceasefire is no guarantee at all that it will hold. It's sort of a Band-Aid to get the talks going between the

U.S. and Iran around the MOU. But yes, Lebanon may be headed into a calmer few days, but to get to a real problem solved point on that conflict, that

in of itself is going to take whole separate memorandums of understanding and lots more meetings.

So, yeah, look, this is was basically the first day of talks, as you said, expect more of this up and down around the Lebanon issue and others in the

days ahead.

FOSTER: Okay. Nic, thank you so much from Zurich.

With more now on what led up to that renewed ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, here's CNN's Oren Liebermann. He's in Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: A ceasefire once again in place in Lebanon, as sources tell CNN that Israel and Hezbollah have agreed

to a renewal of the ceasefire after an intense morning of fighting from Friday at about midnight into the hours of the morning.

[15:05:11]

Shortly after midnight, the Israeli military says a Hezbollah explosive device, either an explosive drone or an anti-tank missile, struck an

Israeli tank in southern Lebanon and killed four soldiers. Israel then carried out a wave of strikes across southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley,

killing at least 47 people, including women and children, according to Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health.

That's where mediators stepped in, the U.S., Qatar, Pakistan, and Iran, to renew that ceasefire. And it came at a critical moment because Iran made

clear that it wouldn't participate in the negotiations towards the cease- fire under the brand-new memorandum of understanding if there wasn't a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon.

They used the pressure on the negotiations to get the U.S. and to get President Donald Trump to put a cease-fire back in place in Lebanon. And it

was Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, who acknowledged that cease-fire and said Israel was firmly committed to an immediate cease-fire,

effectively mirroring a Hezbollah statement from earlier in the day which said we'll abide by the cease-fire if the other abides by it.

So that's where the situation leaves us right now. The problem, of course, is that we've seen ceasefires before over the past several months and even

years that are supposed to take place between Israel and Hezbollah, and yet they have fallen apart within days. Now that has far bigger consequences,

since, again, derailed the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, which are already ticking down with a 60-day window until they need to be

extended, or until they need to either reach a conclusion or fall apart.

So in addition to the very complex diplomacy around trying to maintain a ceasefire along the Israel-Lebanon border, there are the U.S.-Iran

negotiations as well.

Oren Lieberman, CNN in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: There's a fresh diplomatic incident between the U.S. and Italy over comments that U.S. President Donald Trump made about Italian Prime

Minister Giorgia Meloni. Speaking to an Italian media outlet, Trump said Meloni had begged him for a photo at this week's G7 summit in France, and

he felt obliged because he felt sorry for her. Italy's foreign minister has now canceled a trip to the US this weekend, saying Trump's claims offend

all of Italy.

As for Meloni, she posted a sharply worded video on Friday, saying President Trump's comments deserved an immediate response. In short, she

said, his story is pure fiction.

(BEGI VIDEO CLIP)

GIORGIA MELONI, ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Donald Trump's statements are completely made-up. I am frankly astonished. I don't

know why the president of the United States behaves like this toward his allies. It's not the first time, moreover. I can only say it is

disappointing that he does not show the same determination with the enemies of the West and of the United States, whose leaders he instead treats with

far greater indulgence. There is one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Jennifer Hansler joins me from Washington.

It is extraordinary from a European point of view, Jennifer, because Meloni seemed like Trump's closest ally of the European leaders.

JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, Max, it is a remarkable rift from these two that were once very close. I mean, you'll

remember that Meloni was one of the few European leaders to attend Trump's second inauguration back in 2025. Trump would often praise her in contrast

to a number of sharp words that he would have for other European leaders.

That is not the case when it comes to this particular instant, and that has been the case over the past several years as well. They have been growing

apart with Trump's lack of dedication to the Ukrainian war as well as his threats to take Greenland. We have seen this rift growing. It took another

point when he was attacking the Pope earlier this year.

But this is a new low, to see these comments from the Italian Prime Minister. Those sharply worded rebuttals of his claims to that Italian news

outlet and it is having actual real diplomatic implications. The Italian foreign minister has cancelled that trip to the United States where he was

going to be meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Those two, of course, have a lot to talk about, particularly when it comes to the war in

Iran. Italy had committed to that multilateral coalition that was planning to go into the Strait of Hormuz to help secure it once the war came to an

end. We have a lot to talk about when it comes to Ukraine, any number of issues.

This forum as well was meant to foster business ties between the United States and Italy, and because of this diplomatic spat, the entire event has

now been pulled down.

We have yet to hear from the White House or the State Department officially on the comments that were reported. However, Trump did talk to NBC News and

he doubled down on his attacks on Meloni, saying that he didn't need her in his corner because Italy was not there for them during the war in Iran --

Max.

[15:10:06]

FOSTER: But just on what was being said, I mean, the offence is that Meloni saying she doesn't beg for anything, Italy doesn't beg for anything.

Just explain how diplomatically she's responded to this, because this is, I guess she felt it was patronizing.

HANSLER: Yeah, and the fact that she did this in this video straight to camera, seemingly at a desk somewhere, she said that it needed to be

addressed right away and she did not mince words in that video. This was not a statement that was put out by her office. This was not a paper

statement. This was her talking directly to camera.

And of course what she said too, these were really cutting lines to say. I can only say that it's a shame that he doesn't have the same determination

with enemies of the West. That was certainly seemed to be an implicit dig at the fact that we have seen Trump praising autocrats, praising people

like Vladimir Putin rather than cutting down his allies. And in this case, that ally was Meloni -- Max.

FOSTER: Yeah, Jennifer Hansler, fascinating. Thank you.

Well, Trump's controversial pick as acting head of the U.S. intelligence community is wasting no time making waves in the job, sources tell CNN. The

first thing that Bill Pulte did on Thursday was to ask for a list of all employees in the office of the Director of National Intelligence with an

eye toward making hundreds of job cuts. Pulte wasn't even supposed to report to the office until Friday, but showed up a day early. Pulte has no

experience in intelligence and is known for his staunch support of President Trump's claim that the 2020 election was stolen.

CNN's Zachary Cohen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Even before President Donald Trump's controversial pick to lead the U.S. intelligence

community, Bill Pulte showed up for work on his first day on the job. He'd already asked for a list of all of the employees in his new office so that

he could assess whether or not he wanted to fire them. Now, this is consistent with what we understand to be Pulte's chief mandate as acting

DNI, however long he remains in the role, and that is to carry out sweeping cuts within the Office of Director of National Intelligence and potentially

across the intelligence community writ large.

Now, Pulte's other mandate has been to investigate President Donald Trump's grievances around the 2020 election and potentially the upcoming election

as well. We're told Pulte showed up for work one day before even President Trump said that he was supposed to start a sign that he plans to

aggressively pursue this mandate, and one that is has intelligence officials on edge even during the first few days of his tenure. Now, we're

told that Pulte's first interactions with intelligence officials have also demonstrated his lack of national security experience, which is really at

the core of the criticism of Pulte's appointment by both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill.

We're told that Pulte has repeatedly asked about what level of security clearance he has and whether it was top secret or something lower.

Obviously, CNN reported previously that Pulte did not have a security clearance prior to being tapped for the job, which is usually considered a

prerequisite for anyone chosen to lead the U.S. intelligence community, even just temporarily.

Now, Pulte also, we're told, has really fixated on the logistics and scheduling around his new job, even inquiring whether or not he had access

to a government plane, really underscoring that in addition to Donald Trump's priorities, Pulte is also focused on his own personal priorities as

well, rather than the challenges faced at the U.S. intelligence community.

Now, this core concern, again, behind Pulte's intention to carry out mass firings in the intelligence community is the fact that many of these

intelligence professionals are already involved in ongoing projects working to assess threats for things like the World Cup and the ongoing conflict in

Iran. We've heard from U.S. officials who have warned Pulte that he needs to be deliberate in any firings that he makes, which is again something

Pulte has not demonstrated that he has a full understanding of as it relates to the intelligence community. But still, President Donald Trump

has consistently backed Pulte, saying that he is a smart individual and someone that he wants in that role until a permanent -- permanent DNI is

confirmed by the Senate.

But again, Donald Trump even complicating those matters just this week, withdrawing his own appointee for the permanent job, Jay Clayton, over a

conflict with Congress on a controversial surveillance bill. So, it remains to be seen how long Pulte will stay in this job in an acting capacity. But

intelligence officials within ODNI across the other 17 agencies that he will oversee are voicing concerns privately about what is to come down the

pike.

Zachary Cohen, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: And with that, we're going to go to break. More in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: What many are calling Britain's most consequential by-election, Labour's Andy Burnham has won the Makerfield parliament seat by more than

9,000 votes. The small town of Makerfield quickly became the center of U.K. politics after Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, entered the race. The

win opens the way for Burnham to challenge Keir Starmer for the country's premiership. And the Prime Minister says if there is a contest, he will not

step down without a fight.

CNN's Clare Sebastian has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Standing between a fox and a trash can, a surreal picture to end a five-week whirlwind campaign

for Labour's Andy Burnham, the man who may now challenge British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for his job, making it clear he plans to shake things

up.

ANDY BURNHAM, NEWLY-ELECTED BRITISH MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: Everyone knows that politics isn't working. Everyone can feel that the country isn't where

it should be. Tonight could, just could, be the turning point.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): The scale of that victory may now strengthen his case for change. Burnham secured 55 percent of the vote, a comfortable lead

over Robert Kenyon of Nigel Farage's hard right Reform U.K. Party, who came in second place with 35 percent.

It was a campaign fought on the doorsteps of a collection of former coal mining towns in northwest England.

BURNHAM: We're doing everything possible. We're not taking anything for granted.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Burnham, a former cabinet minister who's been the popular mayor of Greater Manchester for the best part of a decade, talked

as little as possible on the campaign trail about his larger leadership ambition, focusing instead on local issues.

NIGEL FARAGE, LEADER, REFORM U.K.: What really happened here is it was vote Burnham, get Starmer out.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Reform leader Farage admitting Friday he's disappointed in the result. His party beaten at its own game.

Meanwhile, uncertainty ahead for Starmer and for Labour as Burnham plots his next move.

[15:20:01]

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: If there is a contest, just to be clear with you, then yes, I will run, I will stand. And I've said

repeatedly, I'm not going to walk away from that.

SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Another battle may lie ahead for Burnham, but first, a victory lap.

BURNHAM: The word Makerfield in the future must be known as a byword for the change that came to British politics.

SEBASTIAN: Andy Burnham, speaking to supporters at a local football club, isn't directly addressing the big question when and how he could challenge

Keir Starmer's leadership. Instead focusing on what the campaign now believes won it for them. That core message of hope and the promise of

change.

Clare Sebastian, CNN, in Ashton in Makerfield, England.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: We've got some breaking news here in the U.K. There are reports of injuries after a collision between two trains. It was just outside London.

This apparently happened just near Bedford, which is north of London, on a line very popular with commuters at a very busy time of day.

Police say they are responding to reports of a collision involving two trains. They're asking people not to travel to the scene and to wait for

further updates of emergency services.

Joining me now, Simon Calder, travel correspondent for "The Telegraph" newspaper.

Simon, I mean, we've got limited information, haven't we? But some pretty horrific stories coming from this.

SIMON CALDER, TRAVEL CORRESPONDENT, THE TELEGRAPH: Yes.

FOSTER: Clearly, two trains, they shouldn't have been on the same track at the same time, basically, should they?

CALDER: Well, just to put things into perspective, the rail standards in the U.K. are extremely high and the safety, I mean, that there have been

very sadly two fatal accidents in the past six years. But that is, that shows you with the sad loss of four lives. But that shows you generally

that even though the U.K. has an extremely intensively used railway way network, there are relatively few accidents.

And that's partly because on the back of what we have seen over the decades, a number of accidents, there are incredibly robust systems built

in to prevent this happening.

Now, what we have are two trains that are actually heading south into London. One of them came to a halt. It appears that there was some kind of

safety issue that the driver was trying to rectify. Meanwhile, another train. appears to have been traveling at fairly normal speed and went into

the back of the stationary train.

This absolutely shouldn't happen. As you say, two trains, well, they can be on the same track, but they have to be separated by a distance typically of

half a mile or so. So, there are many, many emergency service workers, air ambulances on the scene and the information I'm getting is that the people

who are on board the trains are being triaged, you know, working out who needs urgent treatment and who is, dare I say, walking wounded.

It's appalling to think of the scale of the injuries. So far, thankfully, there are no reports of fatalities, but looking at some of the images that

have been coming from social media It would not be, very sadly, a surprise if people had lost their lives. And I think most of those who would be

affected would be in the train that hit the stationary train rather than on the train itself. These are built to withstand collisions, but it appears

that the train was traveling at some considerable speed.

FOSTER: Yeah, as you say, the safety standards are high here, but lots of people on the train I'm seeing saying they didn't feel the train that was

moving slowed down. Does it suggest to you that there -- could have been more than one failure here? Because, I mean, a lot of people will be

saying, why couldn't the driver see the train in front? But the other people will be saying, why wasn't there some early warning system that a

train had stopped?

CALDER: Well, yes, but it is absolutely the case that there are multiple systems. So of course, the very highly trained drivers will be constantly

monitoring the line ahead.

But on top of that, there are many safety systems which basically just say, if a train is occupying a stretch of track, then no other train is able to

occupy that stretch of track as well.

[15:25:02]

And we will build in systems which include train warning systems, which will actually cause the train which shouldn't be there to slow down.

Clearly, there will, exactly as you indicate, Max, have been multiple issues that will have led to this tragic situation and rail investigators

are already on the site to try to work out what's happened.

This is a very busy line in a nation which is really quite heavily dependent on rail, but there will be no links on that line which connects

the capital London with Leicester, Nottingham, Derby and Sheffield, certainly for the rest of the day, I imagine probably for the rest of the

weekend.

FOSTER: Okay, Simon, thank you so much. Very little information to go on at this point, but thank you for marking it for us.

Still to come, Israel and Hezbollah agree to a new ceasefire as Lebanon suffers one of its deadliest days since the war began. Will the conflict

derail peace talks between the U.S. and Iran, or will this ceasefire hold?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Lebanon says it has suffered its second deadliest day since the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah flared in early March.

Now, the health ministry says two children were amongst at least 47 people killed in new Israeli strikes. The attacks came after Hezbollah killed four

Israeli soldiers, but Israel's ambassador to the U.S. says the country is, quote, firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire if Hezbollah honors it.

For its part, Hezbollah says it will abide by the ceasefire if Israel does too.

[15:30:03]

But Iran is looking for guarantees on Lebanon before peace talks with the U.S. can resume. Its foreign minister is condemning a comment by Israel's

national security minister that, quote, "all of Lebanon should burn". What we don't know then is, have these new Iran talks faltered before they've

even begun?

Joining me now is Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator for the State Department, now at the Carnegie Endowment for International

Peace.

Thank you for joining us.

I guess this part of this Iran deal that there has to be a guarantee that Lebanon won't be attacked is the big challenge right now and something it

feels like is almost out of the U.S.'s control.

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: You know, by and large, you may be right. I'm reminded about the Taliban

expression. You have the clock, but we have the time.

I don't think that the Iranians are in any hurry. They've gotten a lot upfront as a consequence of a flawed war has produced a flawed memorandum

of understanding. They've got sanctions relief. They've got the naval blockade eased. And now I think they want to turn Trump's desperation for a

deal, in their mind, into additional pressure in order to protect their billion dollar asset, Hezbollah, and maybe, maybe for good measure, create

a rift between the administration, specifically between the president and Netanyahu.

Their equation in Lebanon is fraught. You attack the southern suburbs, we'll attack Tel Aviv. You remain in southern Lebanon, we'll attack you

there, and we may even attack in northern Israel. That equation is not sustainable.

And I suspect the Iranians are using Lebanon as a pressure valve. The prime minister of Israel, let's be clear also, is looking for any pretext and

justification to blow up this agreement. But when four Israeli soldiers are killed in southern Lebanon, I think it was tank fire, tank shell, he's

going to respond.

FOSTER: At what point does Trump's frustration grow to the point where he actually does use that ultimate sanction, which is not providing weapons to

Israel?

MILLER: Oh, I can't imagine. Look, I work for administration's Jimmy Carter to Bush 43. I'd throw Obama and Biden. You'd have to go back to

Dwight Eisenhower during the Suez Crisis, 1956, when he threatened then Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, that if Ben-Gurion didn't withdraw his

forces from Sinai, Israeli forces from Sinai, during the British-French- Israeli effort to seize the canal, that the U.S. would impose sanctions, by the way, not just on Israel, but on Britain and France.

No president has ever, in a serious and stained way, not just threatened, but impose serious sanction to constrain or restrict or deny over time

military assistance to Israel. This is two hands clapping. If Iran is prepared to constrain Hezbollah, it'll make Trump's job with Netanyahu a

lot easier. But if the Iranians still believe that they can shoot and negotiate at the same time, and again, I'm attaching not great motives to

the Prime Minister of Israel either because he hates this MOU. He'd like to find a pretext for blowing it up.

But I think you're going to -- it's not one hand clapping, it's two hands clapping. And right now, they're ceasefire or no ceasefire. The Lebanon

problem is going to make an acute stressor for a negotiation that's already under extraordinary pressures.

FOSTER: Yeah, Aaron David Miller, thank you so much. We'll see how it goes in the days ahead because the talks are all set up to go ahead, but it's

not happening at the moment. Appreciate your time today.

Now, no trading on Wall Street today for the Juneteenth holiday. European markets were mostly lower with stocks in Zurich, the only sign of green.

This is our Business Breakout.

Russia's central bank has cut rates by a quarter of 1 percent, down to 14.25. It says growth is moderate after a decline early this year. Russian

President Vladimir Putin admitted last week that Ukrainian attacks were hurting the economy, although he says any damage was quickly restored.

Donald Trump's former energy secretary tells CNN that the United States framework agreement with Tehran may be too generous to Iran. Dan

Brouillette says the deal allowing Iran to resume oil exports is enormously helpful to the country's economy and said it could be worth up to $60

billion a year in revenue.

[15:35:02]

Meanwhile, Iran says ships intending to cross the Strait of Hormuz must register for a permit before being allowed to pass through. Signing up will

be free of charge for the 60-day period covered by the agreement with the United States, although Iran has indicated it may charge fees after that

period. At least 25 ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, the most since April, but ship captains say it could take weeks for traffic to

normalize.

One executive from one of the world's biggest shipping associations says there's still plenty of danger for boats to reckon with.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKOB P. LARSEN, CHIEF SAFETY & SECURITY OFFICER, BIMCO: The situation currently in the Strait of Hormuz is that there are still an estimated 600

ships or so waiting to get out of the strait. They sit in the Persian Gulf. And in the Strait of Hormuz itself, there's a mine danger area in the whole

central part of the strait. So it's only really the inshore traffic zones close to Iran and close to Oman that are safe to navigate.

In addition to that, we have some complexity in the sense that there are reports that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy are announcing on

VHF that the strait remains closed until the U.S. Navy has withdrawn from the area. So there's a lot of uncertainty right now. And right now, it's

not possible to say how quickly the situation can revert to normal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Still to come, Luigi Mangione's defense team make a surprising change ahead of his murder trial.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Luigi Mangione's lawyers now say they won't argue a mental health defense in his state murder trial a day after indicating that they actually

would. Well, Mangione has pleaded not guilty to murdering the United Healthcare chief executive in December of 2024. Earlier this week, his

lawyers said they would argue Mangione killed the CEO while suffering from an extreme emotional disturbance.

Kara Scannell has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The change in strategy was explained in just one sentence.

[15:40:02]

Luigi Mangione's lawyers said they will no longer pursue a psychiatric defense at this time.

The reversal came just 24 hours after his lawyers said they planned to argue that he was in a state of extreme emotional disturbance at the time

of the shooting. That defense requires admitting that Mangione pulled the trigger, but saying he lost control or simply snapped. The change comes the

same day that his lawyers had to turn over the name of their expert, medical records, and the theory, like what caused Mangione to snap.

The entire issue has been under seal since September. His lawyer said in court they were concerned if they said he was considering that defense but

changed their mind, it could impact their ability to find impartial jurors and it could impact the federal trial, which follows the state case. But

now that is the exact situation that exists. His lawyers didn't respond to requests for comment. The district attorney's office declined to comment.

But in court, one prosecutor said he believed Mangione's are trying to delay the trial, but he said the people would be ready on September 8th

come hell or high water -- Max.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Thank you to Kara.

Now still to come, a live look at the U.S. versus Australia match that could determine who wins Group D. There has been a goal.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:43:52]

FOSTER: Right now, Team USA taking on Australia in the World Cup. In Seattle, Australia's Cameron Burgess scored an own goal, would you believe,

in the 11th minute, putting the U.S. up one-nil.

I'm sad for them, Patrick, but they've got time.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Hi there, Max.

Yeah, I was just going to -- you've taken my thunder there. I was going to reveal. I was going to say that an Australian player has scored, but he's

put through his own net. And yeah, it was a really -- well, we saw this in the first game, didn't we, with Team USA against Paraguay, Max.

Yeah, the American team going ahead in that first game basically within the first 10 minutes. I think it was the 7th minute thanks to an own goal from

a Paraguay player. Well, this one coming again early in the 11th minute. A play, as you say, it was a good run from Folarin Balogun, makes a good run

and running at the Australian defense. The Socceroos didn't know how to handle him, too hot to handle. The ball comes in and poor Cameron Burgess,

who plays his club football for the Welsh club side, Swansea City, putting one just couldn't get out of the way of it. And the ball just flew off his

foot into the empty net there.

[15:45:03]

And it's another dream start for Team USA who are looking to make it back- to-back wins, Max. And if they can do so, they will advance to the round of 32, which has been a really great storyline because we saw Mexico, one of

the other co-hosts, getting stealing passage to the round of 32 last night in Guadalajara and a good win for Canada as well.

But this is great momentum for Team USA. They're looking to try and emulate at least what they achieved in 2002. When inspired by a young Landon

Donovan, they got to the quarterfinals when the tournament was played in Asia for the very first time.

But the big news ahead of kickoff that I do want to mention is concerning. Christian Pulisic, their star player who plays for the elite European club

side Milan. And Australia will have prepared for this, but Pulisic not playing. The feeling was in the game, will he or won't he, the American

team keeping it under wraps. The head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, not revealing anything, but basically that calf injury prevents Pulisic from

playing in this one.

It's precautionary as far as we know. My understanding is it appears to be precautionary. precautionary. Why risk him if you're hoping to go deep in

the tournament? Certainly no need to play him with America or having three points in the bag coming into this one.

And if they can go on and get another victory, it's just as I speak, I'm hearing the U.S. have got another goal. Confirmed? Yeah. Who got it? Let's

hear. Who got it? We will.

As soon as I know, Max, I will let you know. But America have doubled their lead and that is really good stuff now for the United States as we approach

halftime. It's a terrific score line and they're playing in Seattle and the home field advantage, the fans, the American fans, very, very passionate

and fervent, Max.

It's going to be a huge factor, I think. And who knows now with this momentum. Alec Freeman getting the goal there, getting the goal for the

USA. It is now 2-0 for Team USA, Max. Great timing, as always.

FOSTER: They don't need Pulisic. He's probably thinking, I thought I was the guy.

SNELL: Exactly. Good point.

FOSTER: But I'm sure everyone wants to see him play. It's incredible. Must be a great atmosphere there.

Patrick, thank you so much.

SNELL: Yeah.

FOSTER: Now, Boston. also preparing for another wave of 30 Scottish thirsty Scottish fans ahead of Scotland's match later today against

Morocco.

Now, pub staff across the city would you believe struggled to keep up with the tartan army's beer consumption last weekend when Scotland beat Haiti in

their first World Cup appearance since 1998. I think it was a similar story in Scotland probably.

Some bar owners say they haven't seen anything like this in years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got 150 kegs of tenants, so about four left, I think, right now until tomorrow, so that's pretty impressive. Changing kegs

about one every three, four minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We sold, just last week, over 3,000 pints of Boston lager, equaling like 70 kegs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The Boston London.

So what we want to know is what's behind this love-in between Scotland and Boston? Who else to ask?

But the mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu.

I mean, just describe the story here. I've seen all the coverage from this side. Obviously, the Scottish papers have been talking about the welcome

that the Scots have had there. But what's it been like from your point of view?

MICHELLE WU, BOSTON MAYOR: It's been absolutely incredible. We are in love with the Tartan Army, and it's been a wonderful experience getting to show

the world who Boston is.

We are a beautiful, welcoming, family-friendly city. We love to win. We love our sports teams, and we love when other fans are just as passionate

about their teams and their cultures.

FOSTER: We've heard about the beer running out. They're pretty known for that, aren't they? Have you had traffic cones on statues as well?

WU: I admit, I -- I had to try it out myself as well. So we have a statue of the legendary Bill Russell outside City Hall, who has been decked with a

cone the entire last couple of days. And just about every monument here has some orange cone on top of them.

FOSTER: It's brilliant, isn't it? It's that thing that follows them everywhere. Also, I know you've been talking about how respectful they've

been there as well, because obviously they've created a lot of litter drinking all that beer, but they've been clearing up as well.

WU: It's really a mayor's dream. We have people who are here loving our city, supporting our small businesses, getting to know and connect with

other cultures, and then cleaning up all of the leftovers in little piles when the trash cans are full. Our teams are working really hard at the city

to make sure that we are keeping up with all the foot traffic. And when our guests treat our city just like they would treat their own home, that goes

a long way and we so appreciate it.

FOSTER: And it sounds like you don't want them to go. Tell us about this twinning.

[15:50:03]

WU: We wish we could keep them forever, but we know that they're needed back in Scotland as well, and so I had connected with Lord Provost McLaren

to begin the process of making it official that Boston and Glasgow will be sister cities or twin cities, and we signed a letter of intent to kickstart

the partnership next April, Tartan Day. She will be back in Boston and we will sign the official agreement then.

FOSTER: That's fantastic. And have you got enough beer tonight? Because if they win this one, I mean, you saw the excitement last time.

WU: It's been kegs and kegs coming off the delivery truck. And just what a boon to our city that we get to celebrate with people who are amazingly

warm, friendly. Everybody's cheering hard.

I've got no Scotland, no party in my head forevermore. And different cultures are also learning every other team's chance and traditions. It's

really beautiful. It's the moment that I think certainly our city, but maybe the world, needed right now.

FOSTER: You're going to make the Irish jealous, though, aren't they? Aren't you? You know, Boston is the home of the Irish as well.

WU: Celtic -- Celtic still number one always.

FOSTER: Yeah. And have you got any -- have you spoken to your counterpart in Miami? Because they're obviously heading that way next.

WU: You know, we bid everyone safe travels. We, of course, have some local members of the Tartan Army who will hold down the fort here, and Boston

will hope to be a home base for many years to come. But I know as the tournament progresses, want to wish everyone good luck and good fortune.

We're cheering hard, and it's been an honor to host so many teams from all around the world.

FOSTER: Okay, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, we really appreciate you joining us. And it's been a great story, a great tournament actually so far. So

congratulations on how it's all been organized.

And football often called the beautiful game, of course, and whether it's the World Cup or a local kickabout is part of the highs and lows of

everyday life.

As Christina Macfarlane now reports, it's helping some fathers cope with a terrible tragedy as well, losing a child.

This is the story of "Forget-Me-Not FC".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Steve and the snow globe that got him through his darkest hour. The loss of his

twins, stillborn after years of IVF.

STEVE JACKSON, MEMBER, FORGET-ME-NOT FC: It says, "If tears could build a stairway and memories a lane, I'd walk right up to heaven and bring you

home again."

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Steve is one of dozens of men powerfully bonded here by the crippling pain of child loss. Twice a month in the north of

England, they talk through their grief. It's a rare and remarkable safe space.

ANTHONY SUTCLIFFE, MEMBER, FORGET-ME-NOT FC: This is Teddy. This is something that my mother-in-law brought around on the day that she was

born, and on the day that we lost her, and she said every little girl should have a teddy.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Ten years ago, Anthony's daughter, Poppy, died during pregnancy.

SUTCLIFFE: There is nothing more masculine than a group of lads sitting around crying, hugging each other, supporting each other. That's manly.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Football has given these men a reason to be here. Perhaps a way in the door without admitting vulnerability or weakness.

NICK BAMFORD, MEMBER, FORGET-ME-NOT FC: I'll be honest with you. If it wasn't for football, I never would have made the phone call, sent the

message kind of thing. But yes, the football was our thing.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Nick's son, 10-year-old Jayden, died after a long battle with cancer 18 months ago.

MACFARLANE: What has it been like sharing your story with these guys?

BAMFORD: Them all hearing what I've been through and me hearing what they've been through, you realize you're not alone with it.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): That's exactly what founder Sean Coleman hoped for when he started the club last year.

SEAN COLEMAN, FOUNDER, FORGET-ME-NOT FC: It's OK to grieve. There's no stigma. And that's what I'm trying to break, like the stigma of men's

grief, men's mental health, and maybe loss itself. It's all stigmas that need to be broken.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): While we're there, the team received a message from Premier League player and local Aaron Ramsdale. His wife Georgina

miscarried on a flight home following England's 2022 World Cup campaign.

AARON RAMSDALE, SOUTHAMPTON FC GOALKEEPER: Yes, I thought I'd give you a message and just say well done and we're all in different situations. But

when things like this happen, we're all in the same boat.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Support from players like Aaron is a small step towards Forget-Me-Not FC's new goal, expanding from Port Vale Football Club

to other professional football clubs across the U.K., something Aaron Way is trying to spearhead while navigating his own pain.

Last year, Aaron and his wife Jemma suffered the tragic loss of their baby girl during labor. Here, in the place where Willow should have been,

precious memories spent with her are cherished.

[15:55:05]

JEMMA HALL, LOST BABY DURING LABOR: We haven't got Willow. We weren't able to watch her change or grow. The only things we have got are those memories

from the time that we had with her. She's our daughter. She lives in everything that we do.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): In the darkest months of their lives, Aaron said the club pulled him out of a spiral of gambling and depression, and enabled

them as a couple to try again for a baby.

AARON WAY, MEMBER, FORGET-ME-NOT FC: Without having Forget-Me-Not, and having the dads that are involved, and especially like the likes of Sean

who helped set it up, I don't actually think I'd be here in, in all honesty, but it's also to know that you're around like minded men that have

gone through exactly the same journey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, thanks to Chrissy for that report.

I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Do stay with CNN.

END

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