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Netanyahu: "Barely a Trickle" of U.S. Military Aid Reaching Israel; Kenya Probes Death of Protester Allegedly Killed by Police; What are Hezbollah's Military Capabilities; AI is Replacing Human Staff Faster than you Think; England Versus Denmark 1-1. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired June 21, 2024 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, this is the scene in Washington where the Supreme Court again today expected to hand down its

opinions in key cases, an hour from now. It is 9 am in D.C. It's 5 pm here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. Welcome to the show. This is "Connect the

World" also happening over the next two hours.

A new report from CNN, U.S. officials expressing concern over the limitations of Israel's famed Iron Dome, this coming as Israel and

Hezbollah trade threats in what is fast becoming psychological warfare. We'll take a closer look at that and if a draw can be devastating England

word devastated in Germany while Spain dazzled defending against the defending champions Italy we are talking, the Euros, more on that later.

Well as the prospects of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah grow, there is increasing concern in Washington about the effectiveness of

Israel's Iron Dome defense system. Multiple U.S. officials tell CNN there are fears that the Iron Dome could be overwhelmed by Hezbollah's arsenal of

missiles and drones much larger and much more sophisticated than the weapons that Hamas has been using in Gaza.

One senior U.S. official says quote, we are entering a very dangerous period. Well, these concerns surfacing as Israel's Prime Minister again,

criticize the Biden Administration over its military support. Benjamin Netanyahu saying in an interview published today, that quote, barely a

trickle of military aid is making it into Israel.

And in Gaza, more reports of fierce fighting and civilian deaths in Rafah. This is -- telling CNN earlier Israel's military is intent on completely

destroying Rafah, he says. Well, the IDF says in turn its operation there is precise and intelligence based. We've got a lot to talk about here.

Paula Hancocks connect us from Jerusalem today.

And Kylie Atwood is at the State Department standby Kylie. Paula, we have just seen the very latest from Benjamin Netanyahu in a published interview.

What's he had to say?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, this is really continuing this very public spat we've seen between Benjamin Netanyahu and the Biden

Administration. This is an interview that was done on Thursday. It was published today this Friday, and he has said that quote, barely a trickle

of American military aid is getting through to Israel.

Now, it's already been rebuffed a number of times by Biden Administration officials on Tuesday night, Netanyahu had a Twitter video that he posted.

He was speaking in English and said it was inconceivable that there were delays in ammunition and other things coming through to Israel, to which we

had the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken say very clearly.

He didn't know what he was talking about saying there are no bottlenecks at this point. And we've heard the same from a number of Biden Administration

officials. The only thing that is being held up at this point is the heavier bombs, the 2000 pound bombs, for example, which U.S. President

Biden said he didn't want to be sending to the U.S. at this point in case they were used in densely populated areas, like Rafah.

So this is really a spat, that is very much being pushed from the Israeli Prime Minister's side at this point. We know on Tuesday, there was the U.S.

envoy, Amos Hochstein, who's been here trying to calm things down on the northern border between Israel and Lebanon. And according to U.S.

officials, he told Netanyahu, that what he was saying was unproductive and also completely wrong, Becky.

ANDERSON: Kylie, let me bring you in at this point, as I understand it, we haven't had a response to this very specific article published today and

the comments that Benjamin Netanyahu has repeated in that. But as I understand that you've got some reporting on how Washington is worried

about the Iron Dome in Israel possibly being overwhelmed.

[09:05:00]

That of course is one of the key military systems that the U.S. supplies. Can you just explain what more we have at this point?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, just one note on this spat between Netanyahu and the Biden Administration right now, yesterday,

the State Department spokesperson very explicitly said that there are no bottlenecks in the system.

So even though they haven't responded to this new interview this morning, yesterday's comments from the White House from the State Department, were

quite clear in saying that the flow of weapons from the United States to Israel is going as it normally should, there is a hold on those 2000 pound

bombs.

But that's it. So they've repeatedly said that they don't know what the Prime Minister is talking about. Moving on to this new reporting, that we

have, there are concerns among U.S. officials, that if there were an all- out conflict that broke out on that Israeli northern border between Hezbollah and Israel.

That Hezbollah could potentially overwhelm Israel's air defense systems, including its Iron Dome in that northern area. And this is obviously a

raising concern for U.S. officials. Because as they've talked to the Israelis, in the past few weeks, they have increasingly indicated that they

are preparing for an incursion into Lebanon, against Hezbollah, by land and by air.

And so this is something that U.S. officials are worried about. Now, they haven't explicitly, I am told, according to multiple U.S. officials, that

they haven't explicitly told Israel, that they would oppose any kind of incursion or attack against Hezbollah. Of course, this they have been

challenging Israel from the north for quite some time now and increasingly so.

But what they have said is that they are concerned about even an effort to try and carry out a very, you know, clear cut, and limited a series of

strikes. They're worried about that turning into an all-out conflict and an all-out war and broadening a conflict that is already going on, that Israel

is having to deal with you know, when it comes to Hamas.

So they're really concerned about this something they continue to watch, particularly as their expectation is that Israel is going to wrap up its

operations in Rafah in the coming weeks here and turn its focus to the north.

ANDERSON: And they have made no secret of the fact that they are moving troops into position and gearing up for an offensive in the north. Paula,

let me bring you back in then, I want to talk very specifically about Rafah and the operation there. The IDF has said that it is limited, when they

talk about it being limited and targeted.

They are talking about targeting Hamas operatives in that southern city but the Mayor of Rafah pushing back to CNN saying that the IDF are destroying

the city and that the operation is no different to that in the north of Gaza based on the rising death toll and the images that we are seeing. What

do we understand to be going on at this point?

HANCOCKS: Yeah. So Becky, the Mayor Ahmed Al-Sofi spoke to CNN just this morning and said that even if the military -- the Israeli military calls it

limited, he's rejecting that. He's really challenging that premise, saying what's happening in Rafah is exactly what happened in her newness where

there was significant damage to the city.

And also in the northern part of Gaza and he said that anyone who sets foot in the City of Rafah is killed instantly, at this point, pointing out that

it's practically deserted. There are some people left in Mawasi that parts that certainly close to the humanitarian zone, as the Israeli military

calls it.

But in the City of Rafah itself, he says that it is being completely destroyed. Now Israel and its military as just today as repeated once again

that this is a precise operation. They call it an intelligence led precise military operation, but that is being very much rejected on the ground by

the mayor there.

And also we heard from the Biden Administration just last month as well the State Department Spokesperson Matt Miller, saying that this limited

operation, quote, looks like a prelude of a major military operation. And just yesterday was we were talking we heard and saw satellite imagery and

footage of the Rafah border crossing which is significantly damaged and burned, Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you both on. Thank you very much indeed. Well, it is getting down to the -- for the U.S. Supreme Court before Justices break for

the summer. They are due to drop decisions any day now on huge cases involving Donald Trump's immunity claims on abortion and sentencing for the

January the sixth capitol rioters.

[09:10:00]

So CNN Senior Supreme Court Analyst Joan Biskupic is in Washington, where Joan, we are waiting for more rulings next hour, any indication of what

those might be at this point?

JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN SENIOR SUPREME COURT ANALYST: It's good to see you again, Becky. And just like to yesterday, and just like it's going to be

next week, we have all this suspense because we actually do not know what rulings are coming, we will not know until the very last day of the

session, when there's only you know, a couple left and we can narrow it down.

But they have, they still have about 18 major cases to be decided, essentially over like four or five days, scattered through this weekend

next. And, you know, we don't know when I go into that courtroom at 10 am today, Becky, you know, though, it could be any of the ones that you just

mentioned, having to do with Former President Donald Trump, or, you know, abortion, gun rights.

So we know the drill, and we'll be ready. So let me just at least mention a couple that folks in our audience are especially watching. The main one of

Donald Trump will involve whether he is subject to a criminal prosecution trial for election subversion from the 2020 election before the November

contest of this year.

And right now, Becky, I have to say the window of opportunity for that kind of trial is really closing, even if the justices say that he can be subject

to a trial on some of the actions that he took after the 2020 election results. It takes about you know, three months to sort of get all the trial

proceedings, the jury selection, underway before an actual trial can occur.

So we're really down to the wire on that one. But also, we have a major abortion case that we're waiting to see what the justice do in a gun rights

case. And both of those Becky stem from action that the justices took two years ago, at this time when they first of all, eliminated all of

constitutional abortion rights.

Nearly 50 years of constitutional abortion rights to protect a woman's choice to end a pregnancy. And then I gun rights. The justices two years

ago greatly expanded gun rights under the Second Amendment. And we have two cases that will test the contours of, you know, the next generation of

cases from that.

And then finally, we have cases that test regulation of the environment and social media. So Becky, I'm sure I'll be talking to you next week. But

today, I believe at 10 am Eastern, we will at least start to see answers in some of these, Becky.

ANDERSON: Good stuff. It's always good to have you.

BISKUPIC: Thank you.

ANDERSON: I feel like we are in safe hands with you, Joan. Thank you.

BISKUPIC: Thank you.

ANDERSON: Well Kenya's police watchdog says it's investigating the death of a protester allegedly shot and killed by a police officer in Nairobi. This

came during recent protests against what is a controversial tax bill. Clashes between police and demonstrators have erupted in the capital this

week.

And those live here on CNN at this time yesterday is lawmakers debate what's been called the finance bill. CNN's Larry Madowo reports from

Nairobi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Chaos unleashed in the streets of Nairobi, as Kenya's Gen Z has had enough. What started out as

anger in social media about a controversial finance bill, exacerbating the country's ongoing cost of living crisis has now morphed into self-organized

revolt, with protests taking place across several cities nationwide?

Young Kenyans battling through water cannons, clashes and tear gas, wishing for the rally Christ to be heard.

LYON OPIYO, PROTESTER: We don't have jobs -- our parents are suffering --

MADOWO: It's not clear why they're getting tear gas. They're peaceful as they keep saying they're peaceful. They're not doing anything, but they

kept getting tear gas and gracing all this.

MADOWO (voice-over): The chokehold of Kenya's escalating living costs has been felt for decades, with some protesters saying they are starting with

the parents didn't.

DAISY OLOO, PROTESTER: I'm here because I want to protect because our parents didn't have the guts to stand before and protest against Twitter.

But what is doing is bad governance. And we're here to protest and show him that if -- we can do it.

MADOWO (voice-over): On Tuesday, dozens of demonstrators descended outside Kenya's parliament, forcing the government in Nairobi to amend the bail.

Some of the suspensions include a 16 percent value added tax and bread and a 2.5 percent tax on motor vehicles.

[09:15:00]

But some citizens were unhappy with the changes, calling for it to be scrapped completely. In response to the unrest police arrested hundreds

signaling outrage to human rights groups who said their right to protest has been violated.

MADOWO: Is this your first time protesting?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we were here on Tuesday. They were doing the exact same thing. They still arrested us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll do it again and again and again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We -- are not -- very respectful.

MADOWO (voice-over): With tensions mounting and protests showing no sign of slowing down, Gen Z has proven they have risen like never before. Larry

Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: We have been reporting on U.S. warnings that Hezbollah could overwhelm Israel's Iron Dome defense system, when we come back. A closer

look at just how deep Hezbollah's military arsenal is? Plus, a classic Hollywood film turns 50. Why the themes explored in Chinatown still

resonate for millions in California?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well full blown war could overwhelm the Iron Dome, the cornerstone of Israel's defense system. That is according to U.S.

officials. Little surprise that rare warning came down in a week when we have seen increased signs of an expanding war on the Israel-Lebanon border.

Let's take a closer look.

This very latest round of hostility kicked off with this video. Nine minutes of purported drone footage released by Hezbollah showing civilian

and military sites, some 30 kilometers into Israeli territory. It reached as far as Haifa port, arguably one of Israel's most important economic

lifelines.

Reaction inside Israel was naturally fierce. The government reminded Hezbollah it would be destroyed in a quote, all-out war with the cabinet

announcing it as approved in principle, plans for an offensive in Lebanon, though putting plans into action of course is another story -- one to sit

back quietly.

Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah weighed in with his own televised speech, boasting that the group's growing capabilities and even taking a dig at the

Mediterranean island of Cyprus, which he accuses of aiding Israel to prepare for potential war. Now, this is what you need to know.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies called Hezbollah, the most heavily armed non-state military in the world. Most estimates put it

at having around 45 to 100,000 soldiers, an upwards of 150,000 short, medium and long range rockets.

[09:20:00]

For months, we've been reporting on flare ups along the Lebanese border and the specter of a wider regional war. While both sides may want to avoid

that, the reality is that in these situations, things can break loose from a single miscalculation. The longer this back and forth goes on, the more

likely that becomes.

So, how expensive are Hezbollah's capabilities? And how much more than psychological warfare are we looking at, at this point? CNN's Veterans

Middle East Correspondent Ben Wedeman is in Southern Lebanon to help us unpack all of this. Ben, let me start with the U.S. voicing these concerns.

I just want to remind our viewers the purpose of the Iron Dome system is designed to intercept incoming rockets with a range of up to 70 kilometers.

Nasrallah on Wednesday boasting that his military had only used a portion of his arsenal and here is more of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HASSAN NASRALLAH, HEZBOLLAH LEADER: The enemy knows that, no place in the entire state to safe from our missiles, and it won't be arbitrary.

Everything will be deliberately targeted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Washington concerned that Hezbollah could overwhelm this Iron Dome system. Multiple sources have told CNN that. Could Hezbollah easily

overwhelm this system?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, I don't think it could overwhelm the system, but it definitely could punch some serious

holes in it. I mean, for one thing, what we've seen since October, is that Hezbollah has been focusing specifically on knocking out Israel's

surveillance equipment that keeps an eye on what's going on the other side of the border.

And for instance, we saw that nine minute video of a drone over Haifa, collecting all sorts of intelligence on sensitive military positions. We

saw also recently, a video put out by his bullish showing them knocking out in an Iron Dome battery. Just last night, Hezbollah on its -- telegram

program, to channel put out a video of some sort of projectile knocking down what's called the drone dome and anti-drone system.

So clearly, Hezbollah has the capability to really knock holes in that critical defense for Israel. You know, back in May of last year, I covered

a brief war between Islamic Jihad in Gaza and Israel and I saw firsthand how effective the Iron Dome was in taking down almost every missile fired

out of Gaza, the Israeli say the efficiency rate is 95.5 percent.

But Islamic Jihad and Hamas are completely different creatures than Hezbollah. Now, earlier, Becky, you were talking about the numbers perhaps

40, 50, 100,000 fighters Hezbollah has, but it's not necessarily the numbers that count. Lots of non-state actors have lots of fighters. Lots of

countries have lots of soldiers.

But what I've seen over the years, going back to the 1990s, when Hezbollah was fighting Israel in the South of Lebanon, trying to drive the Israelis

out. What was clear is that these fighters were for one dedicated to the cause. And another very well trained and highly disciplined as well.

I've come in contact with, you know, ragtag militias in Africa, the Middle East elsewhere. But in terms of just organization and discipline, there's

really nothing that compares with Hezbollah. So their ability to use high technology to use laser guided missiles and other sophisticated systems

could easily knock out a variety of Israel's defense systems, parts of it.

I doubt the entirety of it, but certainly enough to expose a large part of the population of Northern Israel to Hezbollah's weaponry, Becky.

ANDERSON: This is a very different beast from Hamas. You're talking about its capabilities here. How Ben, has Hezbollah, been able to build up its

arsenal to the levels that we understand to exist today?

WEDEMAN: Well, for one thing, it's been supplied by Iran. And for another thing, they have also developed their own capabilities just to give you an

anecdote.

[09:25:00]

You know if you go to the Dahieh the Southern Suburb of Beirut. What you see are these great big billboards of all the students who have graduated

with high grades from universities specializing in engineering, chemistry, all sorts of sort of real world practical skills. They place a great

emphasis on education.

So they have developed their own capabilities. But let's keep in mind, you know, Gaza is surrounded, it may have had tunnels to Egypt. But by and

large, by sea, by air, by land, it is surrounded. It's basically an open air prison. We've heard that before. Lebanon is not, Lebanon has Syria,

borders with Syria. Syria has borders with Iraq.

Iraq has borders with Iran the ability. Basically, it's a strategic depth that Hamas in Gaza never had. And therefore the ability for Iran to supply

it with weapons for fighters from Hezbollah, to go to Iran to get advanced training and not only sort of fighting but scientific specializations that

allow them to develop weapons themselves.

So it's not simply a case of, you know, a ragtag militia in Lebanon, receiving sophisticated weaponry, they are well trained in the use of that

weaponry, Becky.

ANDERSON: And Ben, we talk about the significant scope of the short, medium and long term rockets. What about the impact of what is a relatively new

weapon in their arsenal, that of drones?

WEDEMAN: Now, that nine minute video that Hezbollah put out over Haifa and of course, Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary General of Hezbollah, came out

and said, look, we have a lot more, not only around Haifa, but he said after Haifa, and after, after Haifa. So not only do they have the ability

to collect intelligence.

Obviously, you know, drones, a lot of drones, you can actually buy off the shelf, and then fit them with military capabilities. And in addition,

drones are much cheaper, for instance, than a ballistic missile. They're easy to put together, they're easy to fly, and it's not hard to train

somebody on them. And they can be equipped with, as I said, weaponry, as well.

ANDERSON: Sure.

WEDEMAN: And this has really changed the face -- the sort of the face of warfare. You know, we saw it in Ukraine. We're seeing it in the Middle East

where, you know, all sorts of new weaponry and tactics are coming out. And I think the Israelis who have a massive military establishment are

struggling to deal with this new nature of warfare. The drone certainly is one of the most obvious components of that new generation of war, Becky.

ANDERSON: And significantly cheaper than the Iron Dome, and other equipment that the U.S. of course is providing to Israel at the moment. You're in

Southern Lebanon, and you've covered this conflict extensively. I want to bring up some of your reporting in Southern Lebanon during the 2006 war. We

were both in Lebanon at the time. You were speaking to people transferring in supplies from Beirut. Let's just show this clip to our viewers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN (voice-over): The trunk of -- car is full of food and medicine, including insulin. For a month, he's been driving back and forth between

Beirut and Rmeish, a Christian town on the border with Israel -- supplies to his family. But now he says the roads are just too dangerous, while life

in Rmeish goes from bad to worse.

People are drinking dirty water from a local well Pierre (ph) tells me they're all getting sick. Pierre (ph) predicament is shared by almost

everyone in the area.

WEDEMAN: Tens of thousands of Lebanese civilians are stranded throughout the southern part of the country, local and international relief groups

would like to deliver vitally needed supplies, if only they were allowed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Ben, what's the mood there now and what would a full scale war mean for where you are right now nearly 20 years later?

WEDEMAN: Well, we were here in October and people you there was a real sense of dread that something was happening. Back here now I have to tell

you, there are parts of South Lebanon where you wouldn't even know there's a war now. We saw, smoke, rising from a strike by Hezbollah behind me a

couple of hours ago.

[09:30:00]

But also a couple of hours ago we passed by a hotel, which had a great big swimming pool where there were families enjoying a nice, sunny June day.

There are, for instance villages Christian villages, Druze villages in this part of Southern Lebanon seem to be carrying on life as normal.

Now, there are predominantly Shia villages along the border. Those are basically ghost towns. We drove through them a couple of months ago. A lot

of -- there's a lot of destruction and they're very few people left in those areas just a few to keep an eye on the houses in the property.

So it's a very odd situation, but I can tell you, the Lebanese are so accustomed to crisis, economic crisis, war, civil war. They seem to take it

in an amazing amount of stride given what's going on around them, Becky.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Ben. Your insight and analysis so important, as we continue to report on what is an escalating crisis, thank

you Ben. Still to come, big businesses are eyeing up AI. We're going to take a look at new research revealing how many U.S. firms have imminent

plans to replace human intelligence with the artificial kind. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back, I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. Time here is just after half past five in the evening. You're watching "Connect the World" it

is just after half past nine on the East Coast and in New York. That is the state of play as far as the markets are concerned a mixed day.

We're going to bring them up. Maybe we're not. Yes, we are -- Artificial Intelligence replacing human staff faster than many people had certainly

hoped and faster than it may seem. According to a new survey of company finance chiefs, more than half of big businesses in the U.S. plan to use AI

in the next year to do jobs, currently being done by people.

[09:35:00]

Tasks like financial reporting and completing invoices will soon be handled by artificial intelligence. Employers say that the upside is lower costs,

higher profits, and a more productive workforce. CNN's Matt Egan is across all of this for us. And for many people watching this, there will be real

concerns out there. So we should put those allay those concerns to an extent if we can, if we should. What does all of this mean for our jobs,

Matt?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Becky, AI sometimes feels like this futuristic sci-fi thing that is many years away. But in reality, it's

really something that is being adopted by some companies right now, right. This survey found that 61 percent of large U.S. companies plan to automate

some tasks that had been done by humans with artificial intelligence.

And they're not saying they're going to do this, a decade from now, or five years from now they're saying one year from now. So this really is rapid

adoption. And they say they're going to do this for a number of reasons, including trying to boost the quality of the products, boost output, cut

costs, and yes, sometimes substitute for workers.

And listen, we are seeing this in a number of forms, including using AI to automate financial reporting, and doing invoices and paying suppliers. Now,

we thought it would be instructive to sort of demonstrate some of this. So we're going to ask for some help from our friends in the control room who

have loaded up ChatGPT with some instructions, and this is going to be for crafting a job post.

This is just for fun. But we're asking ChatGPT to craft a job posting for a CNN Business Correspondent based in Hawaii, who must love business writing,

and the beach. Not to name anyone in particular. But look at that it is almost instantly populating a result that is looks very credible.

This is looks like something that you would see on an actual job posting site on LinkedIn or somewhere else. And it just took a matter of seconds,

right something that could take a human minutes or hours to do. Now, it is sort of compelling. And I think it does show why companies are rapidly

adopting AI. But of course, Becky, there are concerns about what this means for workers, right?

ANDERSON: Yeah, the companies will say and they did in this. This is about enhancing productivity for those humans amongst us. And by the way, we

literally did that test live in the control room. And so let's see, I mean -- the days, weeks and months ahead, will pave the way I guess for whether

AI is enhances our productivity or kills our jobs. Let's see, thank you Matt.

EGAN: Thanks Becky.

ANDERSON: New York is paving the way with new social media legislation in the U.S. on Thursday, Governor Kathy Hochul signed two bills into law,

which clamped down on social media platforms, algorithms and the use of children's data, that makes New York the first state to pass legislation

regulating social media algorithms.

The bill's passage comes just days after the U.S. Surgeon General called for warning labels to be applied to social media platforms. Look there is

widespread concern over the potential impact of certain apps on the mental health of teens. CNN has reached out to Google to snap and a TikTok for

comment.

More on that as we get it. Another big day at the Euro 2024 championships, England draw while Spain advanced to the knockout stage. Details are ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:00]

ANDERSON: Well, the Euros have gone up to a rocking start in Germany. The England team was a pre-tournament favorite. They drew 1-1 in their group

match against Denmark. This is the group stages of course at present. England remains at the top of Group C with four points.

But it was a Spain who pulled off an impressive one-nil win over Italy last night securing its passage to the knockout stages Italy sits in second

place in Group B with three points. There's a game ongoing as we speak Slovakia, Ukraine. Amanda Davies joins me now. I mean, look, let's be quite

frank, if you're an England fan that was a horrible match for watch last night.

I mean, I've listened to a -- the post-match commentary from the players, you know, some of the post-match interviews, and they're like, look, we're

still in it, and we're still in it to win it. It was horrible to watch Spain marvelous.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes.

ANDERSON: Your thoughts?

DAVIES: Yeah -- I was I actually laughed out when you said the word rocking and then moved on to England because those two words should not be -- in

the same sentence at the moment. And we know the English media traditionally harsh on their national team.

ANDERSON: Yes.

DAVIES: But that was not acceptable in terms of the quality of the squad of players that they've got, but the message you suspects from Gareth

Southgate and inside the England camp, which I've been fortunate enough to kind of spend time with over the years will be we've got four points, we

have not been beaten.

And ultimately you just need to get through the group stage of the competition, but very much in contrast to that, as you rightly were saying

what we saw from Spain, and whilst we know they've got a real mix of youth and experience, some real excitement amongst their talent, and the likes of

Lamine Yamal.

We were not expecting the complete performance that we saw from them, particularly against the likes of Italy who of course, won this tournament

just three years ago. So they are very much firmly thrust themselves into now this conversation about the tournament favorites.

But we are about to see in a couple of hours' time, one of the matches that everybody was talking about as the fixtures in the group stage France

against the Netherlands. Well Kylian Mbappe plays or will he not? That is the big question ahead of that and we've got more on that to come in just a

couple of minutes, Becky.

ANDERSON: If he does, it'll certainly be in a mask. It's a rather dashing mask at that and more on that coming up. "World Sport" follows this short

break. I'm back top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

END