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What We Know with Max Foster

France's Le Pen & Britain's Farage Make Fresh Bids For Power; Trump Floats Selling F-35 Jets To Turkey Despite Ban; Trump Talks Possible U.S. Troop Drawdown In Europe; Argentina Make Incredible Comeback To Beat Egypt 3-2; Monaco Bombing Suspect Found Shot To Death In Ukraine; Platner Faces Calls To Exit Senate Race Over Rape Accusation. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 07, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:25]

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Political bombshells from Paris to London.

I'm Christina Macfarlane, in for Max Foster. This is WHAT WE KNOW.

It has been a pivotal day for the right-wing movement in Europe. France's Marine Le Pen and Britain's Nigel Farage have both long-held ambitions to

lead a government in their countries. And today, each of them has made a fresh gambit for power.

But we'll begin in Paris, where Le Pen says she will run for president after an appeals court ruling opened the path for her to take part in next

year's election. The court upheld the far-right leader's conviction for misusing European Union funds. But it reduced how long she's been barred

from running for office to a period that has already been served.

The ruling also includes a shortened jail term, two years suspended, with one of those years requiring an electronic monitoring tag. She says she

plans to appeal the ruling. Previously, she had ruled out a presidential bid under those circumstances.

Melissa Bell has been following all of this live from Paris for us today.

And, Melissa, I guess the starting pistol for the presidential election has been fired by Marine Le Pen with certain caveats. Did you expect this

decision from her, and what do you make of that decision to appeal?

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think, Christina, from when we heard outside the court today that the result of the appeal meant

that the ban was, the part of it that would mean that she could stand had passed, that she would be allowed to stand, it seemed very difficult that

this woman who has fought all her life to lead and detoxify her party, stood three times for the presidency, would choose to allow Jordan Bardella

to stand in her place.

The question then remained of this electronic bracelet, as you said. The appeals court today ruled that she would have to serve that one-year

sentence with the bracelet, something that she'd said in the past she would not do if she would -- she would not stand if she had to do. What she

announced very definitely on French television tonight is that she would be making that bid for 2027. and that she would be appealing the appeal. And

she believes that the second appeal will exonerate her and certainly find her -- make it so that she doesn't have to wear this bracelet.

What she said was that she believes that the appeals court will find in her favor and she'll be able to go into 2027 without an electronic tag. On the

question of if she has to wear one, I think by the time we get into this campaign -- and you're talking about a decision, Cristina, that could take

several months, the campaign will be very well advanced by then, she'll be fairly close to the end of it, and it won't make any difference.

So, it was a very defiant Marine Le Pen who stood there today on French television. They were going straight afterwards to a political meeting with

Jordan Bardella, effectively, to kick off their party's run for 2027, in the knowledge that they now have their candidate.

And I would add that I think one of the more interesting things about this, as this political story continues to play out, but so this judicial one,

since we're going to see both play out here in France over the next few months, is the extent to which Marine Le Pen uses and takes from the

populist playbook that question of the independence of the judges and the system trying to keep her out, or her appeal to the people to help her win.

It'll be fascinating to watch as she navigates that, Christina.

MACFARLANE: And just briefly, Melissa, what do you think her supporters, like, will her supporters overlook her conviction, whether or not

eventually she does in fact campaign with an electronic tag?

BELL: I think it will certainly not do her any harm with her electorate because of that populist narrative. This is also a woman who's been at the

forefront of French political life her whole life. She's now a mother of three, a grandmother of three. There's a certain grandmother quality to the

nation, to her.

I think the fact that she stands in Jordan Bardella's place, because the assumption had been for the last 16 months that if she were to be banned,

he would stand in her place, I think it probably makes it a much harder ticket for the other candidates to stand against, with her at the helm of

it.

And it will certainly change the nature of the campaign. She's well-known. She's well-liked. The French part of the part of the French electorate that

was going to vote National Rally will be very relieved to see that it is an actual Le Pen standing. And then the question of how she uses this

politically, certainly when she was first condemned in March last year, she came out very strongly saying that these were -- judges who were partisan.

[15:05:05]

It was picked up, you'll remember, by President Trump. And it is very much part of the populist narrative, that it is for the people to decide. And

it's something she repeated on French television today, it is not for the justice system to decide who stands. It is for the people to decide. And I

think far from presenting more complications for her, I think that this judicial process is only likely to harden her support, certainly, within

the people who vote for National Rally even further.

MACFARLANE: Melissa Bell, we will watch this space. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Now, the anti-immigrant, hard-right British politician, best known as the face of Brexit, has resigned from Parliament. But Nigel Farage isn't

leaving politics. The Reform UK leader says he's doing it to trigger a special election, and then plans to run for the empty seat he just vacated.

Farage, a staunch ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, has been facing mounting scrutiny over his finances, as Clare Sebastian reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The U.K. gets a new prime minister, the man who polls suggest poses the biggest threat to them in a future general

election, making a clear bid to strengthen his own political power. Nigel Farage resigning his parliament seat. and saying that he will fight in a

special election to win it back.

NIGEL FARAGE, LEADER, REFORM UK: This will be a people versus the establishment by-election. It's a chance to stick two fingers up to the

entire establishment, to frankly tell them where to go.

And that is why I will be putting my name forward, to stand in this by- election. I will fight to win, I will fight to continue the political revolution that reform has started.

SEBASTIAN: The backdrop here, Farage, whose party Reform UK is leading in national opinion polls, is facing several inquiries over whether he broke

parliamentary rules by failing to disclose donations, including a five million pound, or $6.7 million gift from a British billionaire. Well, if

it's found that he did, that could in itself trigger a by-election. Farage denies any wrongdoing, and he's even had the support of U.S. President

Trump, who posted an article on Monday with the title, "They're running the 2024 anti-Trump playbook on Nigel Farage."

But it's clear the pressure on Farage has been mounting. This was an exchange on Monday with a reporter on the U.K.'s Sky News Channel.

REPORTER: Was it a mistake not to declare the gifts from George Cottrell, sir?

FARAGE: You tell your bosses, you harass my family anymore, and I'll take you to serious consequences. That's what your organization has done this

morning. Go away.

REPORTER: Was it a mistake not to declare the gifts, sir?

FARAGE: Did you not hear me? You have broken all the rules, Leveson and everything else, cut.

SEBASTIAN: Now that he's stepping down as an MP, the investigation will be suspended. But the risk for Farage is that if he's re-elected, it would

likely come back.

But one thing is clear, he intends to fight on and may well remain a threat to mainstream British politics.

Clare Sebestian, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Turning now to a high-stakes summit and signs of a splintering relationship. U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Turkey today for the

NATO summit, and he's not on particularly good terms with many of his NATO allies, but is quite cozy with Turkey and its President Recep Tayyip

Erdogan.

Mr. Trump says he is considering selling sophisticated F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, despite strong objections from Israel. It is the latest sign of a

growing rift between Mr. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

CNN's Dana Bash spoke to the prime minister just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Prime Minister Netanyahu, the conversation that the president is having with Turkey today is just the latest in moves that he

has made that are not making you happy. He obviously imposed ceasefires in Gaza, in Lebanon, on Iran. He made you turn fighters back from attacking

Iran last summer. He's told you what you can and can't do in Hezbollah.

Who is calling the shots for Israel?

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I think there's a wide misperception on everything you said, because a lot of these things, some

of them were not true, and some of them were agreed in advance. And some of it, yes, we had occasional disagreements.

Look, he is the president of the United States. He does what is good for the United States. I'm the prime minister of Israel. I do what is important

for - what is good for Israel. And most of the time, these things are identical.

I have to commend the president. He brought a huge American force to counter our common enemy, which is Iran, that chants "death to Israel,

death to America". Had they developed nuclear weapons, if we hadn't acted, they would have them already. They would eventually use them against

America, not only against Israel.

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So, on the big things, we see eye to eye, and occasionally we don't, but we're true allies. They call us, the National Security Council issued a

memorandum a few months ago, and they called Israel the model ally. And I can tell you that even allies can have their differences.

But I think America has no greater ally in the world than Israel, and Israel has no greater ally than the United States. And I say that with

complete recognition of the fact that we sometimes see things a bit differently. It's natural.

You're a big country. You're far away. We're a small country, beleaguered, and close to these regimes that want to destroy us.

BASH: I want to talk specifically about Iran for a moment, sir. President Trump said the memorandum of understanding with Iran is probably an

unconditional surrender. But the specific question is, under this MOU, the United States terminates all types of sanctions against Iran.

Is this a failure for your country, for Israel?

NETANYAHU: Look, I think it's too early to say what will happen. The president believes that he can stop Iran's nuclear program, which is a

nuclear program to create atomic bombs. He believes that he can do this through negotiations.

BASH: Do you?

NETANYAHU: And various pressures.

Look, I have my doubts, but I think he should be given the chance, and he's, you know, trying to do -- to achieve that. It remains to be seen.

But I have said -- and by the way, I think President Trump has said, too, that deal or no deal, I certainly will not let Iran have nuclear weapons,

and that is also the president's position.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, back at the NATO summit, Mr. Trump is showing his frustration with the alliance. It continues to press NATO nations to boost

their defense spending. He's angry many of them didn't do more to help the U.S. in its war with Iran. And he is again talking about reducing the

number of U.S. troops in Europe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Are you likely to announce further troop drawdowns in Europe?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, we're going to see. I was very disappointed with NATO. And frankly, if it weren't held in Turkey,

where my friend happened to be a very strong leader, a very strong person, it's possible that I wouldn't have attended.

But we weren't treated well because we did something in Iran. We don't need anybody's help. I didn't even want the help. But before he asked, they said

they wouldn't be there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes is at the NATO summit.

And, Kristen, it's clear the U.S. president has a lot of grievances. But I just want to pull out what he was talking to there about the possibility of

cutting American troop level by, I believe, reportedly a third, which would be a huge drawdown. I mean, what would that spell for the NATO alliance,

and what's being said about it today?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, any country that you talk to, any of these European leaders or European

officials, they understand what is at stake here. We're talking about a 77- year-old alliance that is at risk of completely falling apart. And President Trump wouldn't answer any questions about reducing troop size.

We know currently there is a six-month investigation going on through the Pentagon of these various troops across Europe. They will come to a

conclusion after that whether or not they're going to actually withdraw troops, but it's certainly something that he's likely to dangle over these

European leaders during a meeting tomorrow.

We know that several of these European leaders, including the leader of NATO, had all been hoping that there would be a picture of unity coming out

of this summit, but President Trump started off by really bashing those NATO allies, in particular for not helping with the war in Iran.

Now, European leaders have pushed back on that criticism, saying that they didn't even know that he was going to launch this war in Iran beforehand.

They were given no heads up about it, and some of them even saying it would have been illegal for them to intervene.

But that hasn't changed anything for President Trump. He's taking his grievances from the White House here to NATO, and we are told by U.S.

officials he's likely to bring it up directly with those leaders, not just in this kind of a press format where he's answering questions. We'll see

what comes out of all of that.

Again, as you mentioned at stake, it's troops being withdrawn from Europe, which would obviously change the structure. We know that it is the global

alliance as we know it, and we know that he remains angry about defense spending, particular the fact that last year he was able to push to get

this five percent of GDP towards defense spending.

But it's been harder to get these European countries to actually start pushing that money or start putting in that money. And so that's likely to

be something else that comes up. But all in all, these European leaders who came in uneasy likely to not feel any kind of confidence following what we

saw today that comes up. But all in all, these European leaders who came in uneasy likely to not feel any kind of confidence following what we saw

today.

MACFARLANE: All right. Well, we will look ahead to tomorrow and more bilats to come.

Kristin Holmes at the NATO Summit. Thank you.

And at the World Cup match between Argentina and Egypt, 101 minutes of rollercoaster emotion for supporters on both teams in one of perhaps the

greatest games in the men's tournament history. Lionel Messi and defending champions made an incredible comeback, rallying from a two-nil deficit to

beat Egypt led by Mohamed Salah 3-2.

World Sport's Amanda Davies is at the fan zone in Atlanta where Argentina fans are both celebrating and breathing a sigh of relief.

Amanda, what was it like there? It was such a remarkable comeback.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Hi, Chrissy. I'm afraid I'm struggling to hear you. I've just hot footed it from the stadium.

And I've got to tell you it takes something to compete with the noise of the tens of thousands of Argentinian fans who have flooded here to Atlanta.

But Sanjoy here at the fan zone is certainly trying his best, so please forgive me if I'm shouting a little bit.

But I mean, today was the day where it wasn't going to end. Frankly, that's it. And I mean by that not only to be campionata or the back-to-back World

Cup wins for Argentina. But for the rest of us, the privilege of seeing Lionel Messi and his teammates do what they do on the biggest of stages.

But boy, did they have to work for it. You just had to see the emotions once again from Messi and his teammates on the final whistle just to see

how hard it was, as you rightly said, at 70 trying minutes, Egypt were two nil up. This is a team who were in the World Cup round of 16 for the first

time at the same tournament where they've produced their first ever World Cup win.

And you have to say there was a period where Argentinian fans and those of us in the stadium were starting to question, particularly after all those

gilt-edge chances that Argentina had missed, perhaps, just perhaps, this was going to be the end of their World Cup run.

But not for nothing, this a team who have won two Copa Americas and of course that World Cup win in Qatar in the seven years since Lionel Scaloni

took charge. They've lost just nine matches out of 101. And it was Cristian Romero who set them on their way with that goal, 11 minutes from time.

And then just as I was starting to think, yeah, Argentina is starting to look a little bit tired. Perhaps this long World Cup battle is taking it

out of them. Maybe they should be channeling some of what we saw from Cape Verde in the previous or at that Qatar 2022 final, that epic final that so

many people talk about in Qatar. Well, yeah, up popped Leo Messi to score his eighth goal of the tournament, his 21st World Cup goal in all,

extending that record of all time goals scored here at World Cup tournaments.

We know records are there to be broken. Argentina would never come back from two goals down to win a World Cup match and then, of course, it went

up over to Enzo Fernandez. So, it is Argentina who are celebrating a place in the quarterfinals having broken those Egyptian those pharaohs' hearts

and it's now all eyes from the Argentinian fans there in the stadium and here in the fan zone. You can see the yellow starting to fill up behind us

because in just over an hour's time it is Colombia. He'll line up against Switzerland to see who they will face in the next round.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, you've got to feel for Egyptians who would have felt that a lot of decisions might have gone against them tonight. But as you say, it

is Argentina's night. It is Messi's night. And what a match to witness.

Amanda Davies there live outside the stadium. Thank you so much.

And coming up, a major new development in the Monaco bombing story, amid reports a suspect has been found dead. More details on that after the

break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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MACFARLANE: Welcome back.

A bombing suspect wanted in connection to an attack in Monaco has been found shot dead in Ukraine. That's according to Ukrainian officials. The

blast last month wounded a Ukrainian-born businessman, a woman and a 13- year-old child. Two men are being detained on suspicion of murdering the female suspect.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The startling, remarkable story of what seemed to be an attempted assassination

on a Ukrainian millionaire in the otherwise peaceful and luxurious territory of Monaco is taking yet another remarkable twist. The woman

sought by Interpol's red notice for being the prime suspect. in this particular crime. Anastasia Berezovska, a 39-year-old Ukrainian. Well, she

herself has now been found dead in her native Ukraine.

Ukrainian investigators say that they noticed her return to the country on July the 1st, began looking at bank transfers, her general movements and

communications. So, she was talking to her family, but two other men as well, one a serving Ukrainian intelligence officer from the main

intelligence directorate and one former law enforcement individual. They went to see the Ukrainian intelligence officer, and he, it appears,

confessed about this involvement and indeed suggested to the involvement of the former law enforcement officer.

That man's house was then searched, and officials say they found what they thought was some kind of torture chamber in his basement. They've released

a remarkable video of that particular place. Now, Ms. Berezovska's body was found, it says, according to Ukrainian investigators, with shell casings

alongside of it. And indeed, the Ukrainian intelligence officer confessed. to being party to that particular murder.

They are both under arrest, but Ukrainian officials stay there, still looking for who may have instigated this particular crime and continuing to

investigate. A reminder of how we got here in the first place. Ms. Berezovska was pointed out potentially as the prime suspect here by Monaco

prosecutors who studied CCTV around the residence where Mr. Yermolaiev was hit by a bomb carried in a shopping bag.

They noticed a man in the days ahead, and then just the day before the device went off, a woman Miss Berezovska. Indeed, police say they traced

her back to Germany, where she was last resident, and now it appears she fled to Ukraine.

A remarkable story here, one in which it seems that the apparent hitman was then killed by those who may well have contracted her to do the job.

[15:25:06]

Investigators still looking for who may have been on high here. I think certainly an unwelcome embarrassment for Ukraine that their intelligence

officer, one of them, might be involved in something as high-profile as this. And a sign still, too, that the murkiness, the potential criminal

underworld of a former Soviet Union still continues to exist, despite the horrors being inflicted on Ukraine by the war.

Exactly why Mr. Yermolaiev was indeed targeted, still unclear, but a remarkable moment still for what Monaco considers to be its luxury and

safety.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: So, what we don't know is, what's the connection between the bombing and the shooting.

Joining me now is Philip Ingram, a journalist and former British intelligence officer.

Philip, it's great to speak to you again. We last spoke on Friday.

PHILIP INGRAM, FORMER SENIOR BRITISH INTELLIGENCE & SECURITY OFFICER: Great to speak to you again.

MACFARLANE: In the intervening time, the plot has thickened. It seems, Philip, as Nick mentioned there, that the two men who killed this hit woman

were the contractors who'd been hired to do the job. I mean, what is your best assessment of what has gone on here?

INGRAM: Yeah, the link is certainly there. And if this hit had been carried out on behalf of the Ukrainian state, I'd have expected Ukrainian

intelligence officers and their first directorate, the GUR, can do these sorts of operations. But you wouldn't then find that their operatives being

arrested.

And that would suggest to me that they've got links outside the intelligence organization and have been sort of offering their services

out. And whether that was to the Russians, who are another potential behind it, is a possibility, but that would be very embarrassing for the

Ukrainians.

Or more likely, I suspect, we've got an organized crime link here, and whether that organized crime link is because of some of the victim's wider

connections. You know, he was a very wealthy individual who had upset an awful lot of people in different places. Or whether that was down to his

estranged wife or because he was -- the assassination attempt happened whenever he was with his mistress and their child.

That's probably the most likely areas that I would be looking at.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, and the Ukrainian military intelligence officer -- I mean, he's already confessed. and said that he acted without orders, you

know, on his own initiative. When we consider what we know about him, what do you make of this basement torture chamber that was found during the

search and what that might say about him?

INGRAM: Well, again, that would -- that would say that he's probably linked to a number of these different activities. You know, if it's in his private

residence or something that he is using, again, that points towards organized crime. Your organized crime has been rife across Ukraine before

the war. It's likely to be rife still. And it will attract people from within government organizations and out with government organizations.

President Zelenskyy has been trying to get rid of corruption across the government. He's only been doing it for a short number of years. It will

take a long time before he gets rooted out at every level.

MACFARLANE: I mean, the fact that it was deemed necessary by someone to murder this hit woman brings us back to the question of why this Ukrainian-

born businessman, I think Vadym Yermolaiev, was targeted in the first place. Are we any closer to understanding what the possible motivation

could have been there? Do we know where the investigators are sort of focusing next on that?

INGRAM: We're not. You know, this was an individual who had -- he was Ukrainian by background. A lot of his businesses were in Crimea. He was

effectively excommunicated by the Ukrainian state because he sided with the Russians.

Putin was looking after him, and he then came out very recently with some anti-Putin comments. So, there's two sides that were upset with him. The

third side that's upset with him is his wife, because this apartment that the assassination attempt happened at was one that he was sharing with his

mistress and their child, and his wife clearly wasn't there.

And of course, you know, he's an oligarch. A lot of the business links that are there, he's been there for many years, they're almost certainly linked

into organized crime somewhere. So, there are four potential areas that he could have upset to a point where someone or a group of individuals would

have wanted to see harm caused to him.

I don't think we're any clearer to really working out exactly what the motivation was for the original attack.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, and one wonders if we will ever know, really, with the hit woman now being murdered as she is.

[15:30:03]

Philip, we'll continue to follow it --

INGRAM: It's a very good web of keeping --

(CROSSTALK)

MACFARLANE: I appreciate your thoughts, as always.

INGRAM: Thank you.

MACFARLANE: It is indeed. Thank you. Thanks, Phil.

All right, still to come, a pivotal day for Europe's far right. While Britain's Nigel Farage resigns from parliament, a French court clears the

way for Marine Le Pen to run for office.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Returning to our top story today, a pivotal day for the right- wing movement in Europe and two of its loudest voices. In France, a court has cleared a path for Marine Le Pen to run in next year's presidential

race, but she could be confined to her home while wearing an ankle monitor.

And in Britain, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has resigned from parliament and will seek re-election. Both Le Pen and Farage face financial scandals.

So, what we want to know is, are Marine Le Pen and Nigel Farage any closer to taking power?

Joining me now is Sophie Pedder, Paris bureau chief for "The Economist".

Great to have you with us, Sophie.

And look, as we're kind of comparing and contrasting both sides of the pond today, I just want to take a step back and ask you how pivotal a day it has

been, really, for these two right-wing leaders?

SOPHIE PEDDER, PARIS BUREAU CHIEF, THE ECONOMIST: It really has. It's an extraordinary day. I'm in an unexpected twist in France with Marine Le Pen

declaring that she will run for the presidency, and then Nigel Farage in an attempt, I suppose, to assert himself and prove that he has legitimacy to

continue to exist in British politics on the populist right.

[15:35:05]

So unexpectedly, in both cases, a real day that's in some ways going to determine their future.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, and in the case of Marine Le Pen -- now, we've obviously had this announcement of her intention to appeal so that she can run

without this electric tag. I mean, is there still a chance, do you think, that she will have to campaign with an electric tag? Do you think she --

and do you think she would still do that?

PEDDER: I think everything in her behavior and had the tone of voice this evening when she appeared on French television suggests that she is defiant

in a defiant mood, that she wants to campaign, she wants to be the presidential candidate and that she's going to do it.

She continues to say that she's innocent and she is going to contest the wearing of the ankle tag so I think she thinks that there are still ways

around it having said that it remains an extraordinary situation the idea that she would have a candidate who is, you know, essentially under house

arrest, who will have very strict rules about when they can go out, have to spend every single evening at home. That is going to make for a very

unusual French campaign. But she looks like somebody who is going to do it come what may.

MACFARLANE: Yeah. And just on the question of whether this was the right decision for the party, I mean, we know that waiting in the wings, of

course, was a 30-year-old protege Jordan Bardella, a rising star of the party, you know, incredibly popular with the youth, very adept at social

media.

Do you think she has put, you know, the party first here in her decision to run? Was it the right decision?

PEDDER: Look, I mean, we'll see what that whether it was when she when the election takes place next year. I mean, she is also an experienced

campaigner. I mean, Jordan Bardella has all the qualities that you've just listed. But he's not somebody who's been tested in this sort of a campaign.

The French presidential campaign is really tough. You have to be incredibly resilient and it is something that she knows about. So, I suspect in her

calculations, she also didn't want to take the risk of putting an untested, inexperienced 30-year-old into the campaign unless she had to.

So that's the way it's gone.

MACFARLANE: Yeah.

PEDDER: I mean, she's insisting -- and she did this this evening -- that they complement each other and that they'll still be able to work together.

But I think that we'll see tensions between them emerge in coming months as well.

MACFARLANE: And look, here in Britain today, we have seen again how Nigel Farage is the master of theater. Understandably, many in opposition to him

are brandishing this as stunt by him to resign to run in a by-election.

But how big a gamble is this for Nigel Farage to do this?

PEDDER: Well, he seems to be in pretty safe territory, standing again in Clacton-on-Sea, so it doesn't look as if he's taking a huge gamble. But I

mean, the real problem is what has been revealed over the last few days and the degree to which that actually affects his support base, because, you

know, these are not small accusations that have been leveled against him and have been revealed. And it does, in the end, question his suitability

for public office.

Whether or not in his particular constituency that will affect him is a different question. But I think it is something that is going to query in

many people's broader minds outside his constituency, whether or not he's fit for the sort of office he wants to hold in the U.K.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, because there is this Standards Commissioner probe still running against him, and we're still waiting on the outcome of that, of

which he is fully aware. So, look, we'll continue to watch on both sides.

But, Sophie, appreciate your thoughts on this tonight. Thank you.

PEDDER: Thank you.

MACFARLANE: Now, it's the final moments of trade on Wall Street, and stocks are lower. The Dow has been in the red for most of the session after

setting an all-time high on Monday.

And this is our Business Breakout.

NATO countries are signing defense deals worth billions of dollars. That's according to the group's Secretary General. Mark Rutte says allies would

invest in plans including new uncrewed aircraft and counter-drone technologies. He adds the deals would create thousands of new jobs.

SpaceX is officially joining the Nasdaq 100 index just a few weeks after it went public. The index is one of the world's most well-known tech

benchmarks, with hundreds of funds tracking its performance. SpaceX will also be eligible to join the S&P 500 in about a year.

Copenhagen is the world's most livable city. That's according to "The Economist" Intelligence Unit. The Danish capital takes the top spots on

their annual ranking for the second year in a row, thanks to its infrastructure, education, and stability.

[15:40:00]

Vienna came in second, with Melbourne at number three. Honolulu was the highest-ranked American city at number 25.

Our Prince Harry has lost his legal battle against the publisher of a popular U.K. tabloid, a group which included the prince had claimed the ANL

group legally gained private information. Among the allegations were phone tapping. A judge ruled, dismissed the case, saying there wasn't enough

proof. And the prince called the decision a complete whitewash, but not unexpected.

Anna Stewart joins us now. She's been following this.

And there was, Anna, quite a strong reaction from Prince Harry. Tell us what he said.

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, we have a lengthy statement from Prince Harry and also one of the other defendants, Baroness Lawrence, as a

joint statement. As you say, they're calling this a whitewash that is sad but not altogether unexpected, they say. And they point out that they

believe there was sufficient evidence in this case to prove the allegations.

They say, of course, there was phone hacking, that homes were bugged, that private investigators were used, that there was blagging, essentially, that

there were a number of ways that journalists for "The Mail on Sunday" and "The Daily Mail" illegally obtained information. Now, the judge says there

simply isn't enough evidence to show that, to prove that, so the case has been dismissed.

Now, whether or not that turns into an appeal, we have yet to see. We haven't had one hasn't been lodged, and it would be up to the Court of

Appeal to agree for that if it were to happen. One thing we don't know is who is going to pay the legal costs. That's the next big question.

This was a multi-year legal case, so obviously it does not come cheap. We're looking at a 50 million pound price tag at the moment, around $67

million. Now, normally when claimants lose a case, they take on a lot of that cost, so that remains to be seen.

For Prince Harry, the significance of this case, it's good to give it context, this is the third big case against a tabloid. It's been a trilogy.

There was the case, Prince Harry versus the publisher of "The Mirror", and he won. That was in 2023.

Last year, the case he had against the publisher of "The Sun" resulted in them settling out of court, but Prince Harry got an apology and damages.

So, this third one, he was clearly hoping to win. This is not the verdict he wanted. this was a harder case to prove. The other two with "The Mirror"

and "The Sun", they came off the back of many years ago police investigations. There was a huge amount of evidence. This time, it was on

the claimants to try and find the proof of the hacking and that didn't happen.

MACFARLANE: I mean, all in all, a pretty bad week for Prince Harry when you consider the mix-up with Buckingham Palace as well as to where he would be

staying this week.

Anna, thanks for breaking it down for us.

Okay, still to come, the Maine Democrat vying for the seat that could tip the balance in the U.S. Senate for this fall loses a major endorsement. The

pressure on Graham Platner to drop out of the race is building.

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[15:46:15]

MACFARLANE: For Democratic hopeful Graham Platner to step aside in the race for Senate in Maine, that's after a former girlfriend accused Platner of

rape, adding to a string of controversies swirling around the candidate.

Here's what she told CNN's Jake Tapper about an alleged incident with Platner in 2021.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNY RACICOT, PLATNER ACCUSER: So he had kind of, like, jumped on top of me and indicated that he had intentions that were sexual in nature. And I

remember just at first being like, hey, I'm not into this. I'm not in the mood. Don't -- whatever.

And it got to the point where I was like, OK, I feel like I've said this enough times. He's not listening to me, or he's not hearing me. And I

looked at him, and I remember this very specific look in his eyes. And I could smell alcohol, and I was like, this is different.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: CNN congressional correspondent Lauren Fox is with us live from Washington.

And, Lauren, these are deeply troubling allegations. And we know now that top Democrats are calling on Platner to drop out of the race. How long do

you think until we see that?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, it's been a really remarkable sea change within the Democratic Party, especially from

some of those progressive aligned senators who were really early backers of Graham Platner. And I'm thinking here of Senator Bernie Sanders, who's an

independent who caucuses with Democrats, and came out with a statement earlier today saying that he spoke to Graham Platner and he encouraged him

to get out of this race. Also, Senator Elizabeth Warren pulling back her support.

And then yesterday there was that striking statement from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. That is the campaign arm that is responsible

for helping Democrats try to take back the United States Senate. And that chairwoman, Kirsten Gillibrand, as well as Minority Leader Chuck Schumer,

put out this joint statement essentially saying that Graham Platner needed to step aside and that if he did not, they were not going to devote a dime

of money to this race in Maine. That obviously is a very, very important threat, given the fact that the state of Maine and Senator Susan Collins,

the Republican running there, has been a top target for Democrats, not just this cycle, but for the last several cycles.

So that just gives you a sense here of how serious Democrats are taking these allegations, how they believe that this is no longer a campaign that

is going to be effective against Senator Susan Collins. And they know the state of Maine and flipping that state from red to blue is essential for

their ability to take back the Senate in the fall midterm elections that are coming up in just a few months.

I mean, I think it's really remarkable the amount of members who have come out and said that they cannot stand by Graham Platner that have called on

him to step aside. And yet we should note that Graham Platner has denied any wrongdoing. He also has not said he's getting out of this race at this

moment, despite the public pressure coming, despite the fact that there are a bevy of people up in the state of Maine who are potentially considering

their own bids if he does indeed get out of this race, that just has not happened yet. It's been almost 24 hours since CNN broke this story.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, well, we'll wait to see if he continues to hold out.

Lauren Fox, thank you.

Now, a dangerous situation is happening in New York right now. Firefighters believe a high-rise building in the middle of Manhattan could come tumbling

down at any moment. We're live with what's being done about it, next.

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[15:52:32]

MACFARLANE: Turning to a dangerous situation right now in New York City. A high-rise building has been evacuated after structural columns on the 21st

and 33rd story buckled. Inspectors have also found multiple cracks and sagging floors. The New York fire chief says the building has continued to

move since first responders have been on the scene. A collapse zone has also been established around the building.

Gloria Pazmino is on the scene for us.

And Gloria, understandably, this is really concerning. I hear you've been speaking just now to the deputy mayor. What have they been saying?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. We actually just heard from the commissioner of the Department of Buildings and got a significant

update, Christina.

Some good news to report. And you mentioned that the building has been moving since this morning when the incident was first reported. She just

told us that the building has not moved for two hours. She said that's very good news and a sign that things are moving in the right direction. She

also said that officials from the city right now there is a team of six people that's inside the building and that they have reached the 21st

floor.

That is key because that is the floor where we see that bent beam that we have seen in some of the images, the beams that are essentially folded in

half these steel beams that look as if someone has just folded them over.

Officials have made it into that floor and that is critical because they are in the process of assessing the building so that they can now reinforce

it and essentially support it so that a potential partial collapse can be avoided. So, it seems like things are starting to move in the right

direction.

I want to just talk about where we are. We're on 42nd Street in Manhattan on the east side of the island. This is like much of Manhattan, a busy part

of town, office towers, buildings, apartment buildings. There's a school here.

The buildings in the surrounding area have been evacuated. That means that there's likely thousands of people who are unable to travel throughout this

area, and the commissioner just said she expects this to go into the night and likely into tomorrow morning as officials make sure that the building

is safe.

[15:55:00]

The concern here is that there be a partial collapse. That's better than a complete collapse, but it's still very, very dangerous. Having a partial

collapse inside the building in any area of it would mean that any progress they've made to try and shore up the building would have to stop, and that

effort would be delayed, which would mean that these streets would have to continue to be closed off to traffic and pedestrians.

But for now, it does seem like things are moving in the right direction. Just one last bit of background about this building. This is actually the

Pfizer building, the former headquarters of Pfizer. It was being converted from offices to apartment buildings. As part of that project, they were

adding floors on the top. And right now, officials are investigating exactly what led to the beams being bent in the way that we see in the

images, Christina.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, well, I mean, we will continue to follow it. It's still a very volatile situation.

Gloria, appreciate it. Thank you.

And that is it for us here on WHAT WE KNOW. I'm Christina Macfarlane. Stay with CNN. More after the break.

END

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