Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Cave Rescue Efforts Continue; FEMA in Crisis?; Iran Freezes Peace Talks. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired June 01, 2026 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:01:02]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Suspending talks. Tehran freezing negotiations with the United States aimed at ending the war all over Lebanon and Israel's strikes against Hezbollah.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: A possible route for rescue, a new shaft providing hope in the search for two people trapped in a cave in Laos, but time is running out.

And a new warning on Ebola, a health official saying -- quote -- "The risk of regional spread is already happening."

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SANCHEZ: We start this afternoon with President Donald Trump responding after Iran reportedly put peace talks on hold.

The president telling NBC just a short time ago that Iran going silent would be very good, adding -- quote -- "I think we have been talking too much, if you want to know the truth."

Now, earlier today, the Iranian state media said that Tehran had suspended negotiations over Israel's latest strikes in Lebanon on Hezbollah targets. Prospects of a deal were already facing major uncertainty after officials say that President Trump demanded tougher language when it comes to Iran's nuclear commitments, as well as its pledge to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Meantime, both sides been have launching new attacks, CENTCOM confirming the U.S. military successfully intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting American forces based in Kuwait.

Let's go live now to the White House and CNN's Kristen Holmes.

So, Kristen, President Trump sounds optimistic about this pause, saying that the two sides have been talking too much?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And, Boris, I mean, this is kind of what we have heard him say for the last couple of weeks, this idea that he's in no rush, if they want to take a pause. There's no timeline on any of this. And he actually said that he hadn't heard from Iran over these reports they're going to stop negotiating, but said that maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing.

And he did add this. He says: "It doesn't mean that we're going to start bombing or dropping bombs all over there. We will just go silent. We will keep the blockade. The blockade is a piece of steel," and then goes on to say, "I think I can wait as long as they want."

This idea that they are losing money every day. We know a couple things from this statement that he just made briefly in this interview over the phone to NBC. It looks as though he's still trying to get some kind of diplomatic resolution. That's why he's saying, it's not like we're going to just start dropping bombs, we will just go silent.

But, also, we know President Trump wants to get out of this despite the fact that he is saying there's no rush, there's no timeline, maybe it would be good if all sides went silent.

And just on that memorandum of understanding, a reminder that, on Friday, it seemed as though he was going to come out of that just meeting in the Situation Room with a decision, and instead what we learned is that he went back, sent this back to Iran for tougher language on some of the aspects of the deal.

Specifically, he wanted tougher language on Iran's commitment to nuclear, stronger text on the pledge to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as well as making a couple other changes that were not huge, but mostly centered around this idea that the U.S. wanted these extra assurances.

One thing is clear right now, Boris, as this stands. There could not be more strain on the current efforts for diplomacy here. We just have to see how this ends up playing out, if this is just two sides who deeply distrust each other in a standoff, or if we're really looking at the end of negotiations.

SANCHEZ: Kristen Holmes, live for us from the White House, thank you so much -- Brianna.

KEILAR: As Iran suspends talks with the U.S. over Israeli strikes on Lebanon, CNN is learning new evacuation orders just went out in Southern Beirut, where smoke has been seen billowing.

CNN's Nic Robertson is joining us now for more on this.

Nic, tell us what you're learning.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, we're getting a little bit more perspective on the -- what Iranian state media is describing as their new position, this decision not to continue negotiations with the United States.

[13:05:05] A source familiar with the talks has told me earlier today that there were complications in the talks. We heard from the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, saying that there were obstacles in the negotiations and was criticizing the United States for what they describe as sort of contradictory positions being put by the United States even during this period of what we understood to be a fine- tuning of the language, a few words, a sentence here or there.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman in Iran describing what the United States is doing as trying to insert new language, and then not expect or not be willing to hear the Iranians also try to adjust their language to match or to meet what's coming from the United States.

So all of that was bubbling in the background but it does seem to have boiled over, if you will, over the issue of Israeli strikes at Hezbollah targets. And Prime Minister Netanyahu earlier today authorized, and we heard warnings as well from Israeli military officials from the IDF warning residents in Dahiyeh, that suburb of Beirut, southern suburb, which is believed to be a Hezbollah stronghold, warnings of upcoming strikes there, people fleeing that area.

And that's really when the Iranians took this position. And they also are doubling down on their military readiness. They are saying that they are going to enforce their complete blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. They're also threatening a blockade on Bab-el-Mandeb in the Red Sea.

Another way that some of the regions oil exports get to international markets is out through the Red Sea, out through Bab-el-Mandeb. So Iran is taking this tougher position, not talking. The foreign minister has had calls with Pakistan's foreign minister and the field marshal there. He's also called the French foreign minister, the Belgian foreign minister, the Turkish foreign minister.

So you get the impression the Iranians are sort of waving this flag at the moment, waving the flag and at the same time sort of trying to talk to allies, if you will, friends if you will, about their position, about their grievances, about trying to resolve them.

It doesn't sound like -- although they're militarily ready and poised, it doesn't sound like they're threatening to escalate militarily at the moment.

KEILAR: And, Nic, what is this that Iranian state media is reporting about Tehran threatening another crucial strait?

ROBERTSON: Yes, the Bab-el-Mandeb, that's at the southern end of the Red Sea. It's right next to Yemen. And it's a place where the Houthis, who are a proxy of Iran, have been striking international shipping, shipping they have said has been associated with Israeli companies, Israeli interests.

The fact that the Iranians are going back to that point really threatens the export mostly of Saudi oil. Saudi is able to export about six to seven million barrels of oil out through its Red Sea port, an alternate route to the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, that's blocked.

But if the Iranians really do carry through with their proxies, the Houthis in Yemen, then that would really put -- make it much harder to get some of the small amounts of oil from the Gulf that have been getting out to global markets. It would make it much harder to do that and also potentially draw Saudi Arabia more heavily into the conflict.

We know from sources there that they have struck Iran during the last round of the conflict.

KEILAR: All right, we will keep our eye on that.

Nic Robertson, thank you so much.

Still to come: Rescuers are investigating possible signs of life deep inside of that flooded cave in Laos where two people still have not been found.

Plus, a CNN investigation providing an inside look at the chaos and dysfunction inside FEMA, new report landing on the first day of hurricane season.

And then, later: A United Airlines flight on its way to Spain had to do a U-turn. Why? Apparently because of a Bluetooth device.

We will explain coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:13:46]

SANCHEZ: We're tracking a race against time in Laos.

After five trapped villagers got out, the search for the last two men stranded in underground caves is now focused on a shaft at least 320 feet deep, the entrance of which is right there, barely wide enough for someone to get through.

Here's what the shaft looks like underground. Rescuers believe they heard knocking noises from below in response to calls they were sending out, a potential sign of life from the men. The cave diver who heard the sounds, though, told this to CNN:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH RICHARDS, CAVE DIVER: I would knock other times, and potentially hear something, and then have a bat fly out, and hear the bat, and realize that it was a bat.

Other times, there was definitely some sort of scraping sound. Now, that may have been one of the other nearby cavers. There certainly wasn't a situation at any point where I was knocking on the rock and then hearing the same number of knocks come back.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: The shaft is in a separate location from the major operation that ended with joy and relief on Saturday. Four men that had been stuck underground for more than a week were able to walk out on their own after extensive efforts to pump water out of the flooded cave. Divers, as you might recall, escorted a fifth villager to freedom the day before.

[13:15:01]

And, today, the survivors posted a video expressing their gratitude and explaining why they went searching inside the caves looking for gold.

Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It was poverty that made us go in there. Nobody hired us. We just wanted to have money too, to buy things and make a living in the countryside. We wanted that too. But, unfortunately, were unlucky.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's discuss these new developments with cave diving expert Charlie Roberson. He's the founder and CEO of FATHOM Dive Systems.

Charlie, thanks so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us.

So, how do these rescuers go about figuring whether these knocks that have reportedly been heard are actually the two missing men?

CHARLIE ROBERSON, FOUNDER AND CEO, FATHOM DIVE SYSTEMS: Well, first, thanks for having me.

The knocks are very interesting. It's quite possible that these men are in an air bell and knocking. And they won't really know until they either hear some knocks that are for sure from a human and trying to communicate something or they find them.

From my understanding with my contacts in the rescue diver group is, this has gotten -- become even more complex of a rescue operation. It was already a difficult situation, where the first five men were located in an air bell about 800 feet into the cave.

This other group, if they're still alive -- and, hopefully, they are -- and -- would be even further in the cave. And, apparently, the passage that goes further into the cave is even smaller than the passage that they had to deal with initially...

SANCHEZ: Yes.

ROBERSON: ... to the point where it's probably not practical to dive through.

SANCHEZ: Wow. ROBERSON: They will either have to dewater it using pumps or find some other means, and perhaps this shaft from higher up on the mountain will be that.

SANCHEZ: So the complicating factor here is, of course, that the two men that are missing have now been underground for almost two weeks. So I imagine that they're dealing with just the surroundings, the nature, the exhaustion.

What do you imagine is the environment that they're in right now? And what kind of challenges are they potentially facing?

ROBERSON: I mean, this is an incredibly difficult situation. Obviously, they don't have food or fresh drinking water. They are probably ill. Probably, the water that is in the cave potentially contaminated and giving them intestinal issues, which just makes the situation even worse.

SANCHEZ: Yes, that's got to be brutal, as we're looking at video of rescuers going through these crevices.

I understand that there's an effort being made now using technology to try to map the entire cave underground, the entire cave system. How does that work? What is the process like and how long could it take?

ROBERSON: I'm not sure what type of technology that they're using, perhaps some type of ground-penetrating radar or something.

But from what I do know is that the rescuers, clearly, they don't know the extent of this system, the cave. This is not some -- a place that they have been before or normally go. Probably, the best source of information about this cave would be the locals that have been going in this cave.

Clearly, this is not their first time going in to try to mine for gold. So, I would be reaching out to the locals and try to get an idea of the extent of the system and what it looks like.

SANCHEZ: And, lastly, Charlie, just your reaction to hearing that the four men who were still trapped as of last Friday were able to actually make it out on their own. Apparently, they were terrified that, if they didn't try, that they wouldn't make it out at all.

It seems like almost a miracle that they were able to get out to safety on their own.

ROBERSON: Well, that's right.

I think they did the right thing. Obviously, they saw the water levels going down. That was a combination of two things. I think there was a couple of days where the rains let up and the rescuers were trying to dewater the cave using these pumps to pump the water out of the sumped-out section.

So these guys saw the water going down, and they took their opportunity to get out, which was smart on their part. SANCHEZ: Yes, they are lucky to be alive. And we hope the best for

their still two missing friends.

[13:20:01]

Charlie Roberson, thanks so much for joining us.

ROBERSON: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Still ahead: This is not the kind of report you want to hear about on the first day of hurricane season, but a new CNN investigation is highlighting how chaos inside FEMA could make the country more vulnerable to major disasters.

Plus, listen to this, an earth-shaking boom rattling homes across New England.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SONIC BOOM)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: What we're learning about the cause of this sonic boom -- next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:25:15]

KEILAR: Today is the official start of hurricane season.

And while FEMA should be prepared, exclusive CNN reporting reveals the agency is actually in cleanup mode working to undo some of the damage sustained after -- or, I should say, under the leadership of former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

The lingering issues include billions of dollars in disaster funds awaiting Noem's approval, along with budget and staffing cuts. Now leaders are racing to close the gaps before states suffer the consequences.

CNN's Gabe Cohen is joining us now with more on this.

And, Gabe, sources say that the damage could actually take years to undo?

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

And there was one high-ranking FEMA official who actually told me it could take a decade to fix what they broke. That's in their words. And they said, "If we have a major disaster this year, we are screwed," obviously not what you want to hear on the first day of hurricane season.

And so now we have been seeing this sort of clear reversal from the administration. They have been undoing a lot of the most restrictive policies that Noem and Lewandowski had put in place. They have cleared a lot of that funding backlog, all that money that was stuck at FEMA. They have been rehiring some of the workers who were ousted.

And maybe the biggest thing of all, all the talk of eliminating FEMA that we heard so much during the first half of 2025, that seems to have been quieted down at this point, which is pretty remarkable, when you consider it was President Trump himself who first floated that idea in the first days of this administration, way back in January of 2025.

And it was Noem and Lewandowski who then made it a signature mission and really waged war on this agency. They came in. They instilled a culture of fear. They pushed out most of the senior leadership. They put in those restrictive policies, essentially saying, you can't do anything at FEMA without DHS approving it first. And they put in all these political appointees who were going to be their enforcers on that.

And those folks even started clashing with one another, which created really stunning dysfunction. As I was reporting this out, I learned that even some of the basics -- we're talking about electric bills, utilities, e-mail services, Internet -- all of those bills, or many of them, at least, were not getting paid at various points, and service was close to getting cut off.

There were also these secure government facilities that house dangerous materials like anthrax and ricin where their security contracts, the train guards that they hired, those contracts, were about to expire and staff had to essentially beg DHS, saying, you need to get this approved or we will have a serious problem on our hands.

And so a lot of those issues are being undone now., But the point you raised at the beginning is a critical one, which is, we are now heading into hurricane season, and source after source has told me FEMA is really limping into it. They're dealing with major wildfires right now, and, by the way, security threats from the war in Iran, the World Cup.

It is just really a rough time for this agency and a precarious one.

KEILAR: So, those officials saying, if there's an emergency, we're screwed.

Which states are particularly vulnerable to that?

COHEN: Well, look, just about every state would struggle without some sort of federal backstop, especially the funding side of things.

But rural states, states with smaller state budgets, and so often many of them are red states, those are the ones that are going to be hit hardest if FEMA largely disappears or if some of those services really struggle in the months ahead.

And I think that speaks to why this became such a political firestorm and ultimately why the effort to eliminate FEMA really failed. You think back to that backlog you mentioned, $15 billion in disaster aid and grants that was stuck last year awaiting Noem's approval.

And, yes, a lot of lawmakers were complaining, but it was also a lot of prominent Republican lawmakers who pointed the finger at Noem and said, why are you not sending out this money that we were promised, especially to our constituents, to communities that supported this president?

Ultimately, it was Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina who just a couple of days before Noem was fired, confronted her during a hearing, said, you have failed at FEMA, you should resign. Then she was ousted.

None of that is coincidence. And, certainly, the politics were a big part of it, because a lot of these leaders said, my constituents were going to be the ones who suffer.

KEILAR: Yes.

Gabe Cohen, so important. Thank you so much for the reporting.

Still ahead: Iranian state media reporting Tehran is suspending talks with the U.S. because of Israel's strikes on Lebanon. The move comes as the U.S. and Iran exchange fire overnight.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)