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Donald Trump Says He Will "Hold Off" Attacking Iran Amid Ongoing Talks; Three Killed In Shooting At San Diego's Largest Mosque; Vladimir Putin Heads To China For Official Visit, Talks With Xi Jinping; Health Organization Rush To Contain Ebola Outbreak; Bodies Of Four Italian Divers Located In Deep Cave. Trump Says He Will Hold Off Attacking Iran Amid Ongoing Talks; Iran Says Deep Distrust and Serious Skepticism in U.S. Talks; Bangkok Airways Posts Strong Q1 Net Profits Despite Fuel Shortages; South Korea Hosts Japan's Prime Minister for Bilateral Summit; Cuban President Warns U.S. Against Possible Military Action; Musk Plans Appeal After Jury Finds OpenAI Not Liable; Two Americans Detained Over Japanese Monkey Enclosure Incident; Asteroid 2026 JH2 Has Just Safely Flown Past Earth. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired May 19, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:38]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, President Trump says he's holding off on striking Iran, but warns the U.S. is prepared for a full-scale assault if a deal is not reached.

Vladimir Putin heads to Beijing in the coming hours, we will talk with an expert about what to expect.

There's been a spike in suspected Ebola deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. What the World Health Organization says that could mean.

And why the jury in Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI ruled against him.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. And we begin with the war in Iran, where a fragile cease fire between Washington and Tehran is still in place. U.S. President Donald Trump says he will hold off on a Tuesday plan to attack Iran as negotiations to end the war grow more serious, but President Trump says he has instructed his leadership to be prepared to go forward with a full large scale assault of Iran on a moment's notice in the event that an acceptable deal is not reached. This as a source tells CNN, the US believes Iran's latest proposal to end the war did not offer big enough concessions on some critical sticking points, including Tehran's nuclear enrichment program.

Meanwhile, Iran's president is vowing to defend his country's interests, saying, "Dialog does not mean surrender."

Well, for more, Leila Gharagozlou joins us now from Abu Dhabi. Good to see you, Leila. So, what more are you learning in the wake of President Trump saying he is holding off on striking Iran as he awaits a deal being made?

LEILA GHARAGOZLOU, CNN PRODUCER: Yes, so as you said, President Trump posted on Truth Social, saying he wasn't going to attack at the behest of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, three nations that have really borne the brunt of this conflict and are in the firing line.

Now, for the Iranians' part, as you mentioned, also Masoud Pezeshkian and the Iranian president said that they're willing to have dialog, but they would not surrender, and to them the nuclear program, in particular dismantling that, would be a form of surrender, which is why this has been such a major sticking point.

And while Iran is likely to offer some sort of concession, they're not going to totally dismantle this program the way the U.S. has suggested in the past.

Now, what is really the biggest obstacle, according to the Iranians, is trust. Last week, at the BRIC summit, Masoud -- sorry, Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, said that that was the biggest hurdle to negotiations. The Iranians have very little trust in the Trump administration, and we again heard that today from the Foreign Ministry spokesperson. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): We approach every diplomatic process with deep distrust and serious skepticism in order to safeguard the national interest of Iran. Iran is aware that, given the United States' track record of undermining negotiations, it may repeat the same actions at any moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GHARAGOZLOU: This is something that the Iranians have said time and time again throughout this conflict. Their distrust of the Trump administration goes back to President Trump pulling out of the JCPOA. They viewed that as being a major breach of trust. They say now every time they have come to the negotiating table in good faith, the Trump administration has either moved the goal posts or they have ended up attacking Iran, so they're very wary of this, and this is going to be a very difficult thing to get over for them.

However, they do say that they're willing to come to the table, but some things are not going to be necessarily negotiable in the way that the U.S. wants, like the nuclear program or control over the Strait of Hormuz, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Leila Gharagozlou, thank you so much. Joining us live from Abu Dhabi with that report.

We are following developments out of Southern California, where authorities are investigating a deadly shooting at San Diego's largest mosque as a hate crime. Three people were killed. A law enforcement source has identified one of two teen suspects as Cain Clark. Officials say he was a high school wrestler enrolled in an online schooling program. CNN's Kyung Lah has more from San Diego.

[02:05:08]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: The San Diego police chief says that the investigation here really kicked off when the mother of one of the suspects, the 17-year-old suspect, reached out to police. She said that her son was missing, her car was missing. She believed that her son was with a companion. They were dressed in camo, and that she was concerned about what her child might do.

CHIEF SCOTT WAHL, SAN DIEGO POLICE DEPARTMENT: She believed her son was suicidal, and she began to share information that several of her weapons were missing, her vehicle was missing, in addition to her son.

LAH: At this point they said the motive appears to simply be hate. They don't have anything more specific than that. They pointed out to writings left on one of the weapons, the mother's suicide note that she recovered from her son also had some writings about racial pride.

As far as the people who were killed, there were three men who are associated with the mosque, and one of them, who has not been identified yet by name, but he is someone that this entire community knew. A lot of the children who came here thought of him as their protector, a big man who they saw every day as they entered the school, passing through the mosque, going into their primary school, and I want you to listen to what the father of one of the children had to say.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I truly know in my heart from knowing that man, that he was sacrificing his life and took that bullet, knowing that I rather take it than the kids, and that is what makes me emotional.

LAH: He ended what he had to say to us by saying he wasn't sure what would happen had that security guard not been there to protect the children. Investigators say that they will continue to chase all the leads, they expect to have much more throughout the day.

Kyung Lah, CNN, San Diego.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Russian President Vladimir Putin is heading to China, where in the hours ahead he is set to kick off a two-day visit. Putin will hold talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The Kremlin says the two leaders will discuss bilateral issues, and this comes just days after U.S. President Donald Trump made his own visit to Beijing.

CNN's Simone McCarthy joins us now live from Beijing. Good to see you, Simone. So, what is expected to come out of these meetings between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin?

SIMONE MCCARTHY, CNN SENIOR CHINA REPORTER: Well, Rosemary, it's certainly been a big week for Chinese leader Xi Jinping hosting Trump and Putin just days apart here in the Chinese capital. This is very much playing into Beijing's own messaging that it's a major player on the global stage, a potential alternative leader to the United States, and really a driver of international relations.

So, that's the signaling that we've been seeing from Beijing, from Chinese state media ahead of the visit, but certainly this is also very much a sign of this enduring alignment between Putin and Xi, and also China and Russia. These are two leaders that have driven their countries' coordination together across security, defense, economic, Strait, especially in the face of Putin's war in Ukraine, and so certainly those are going to be subjects that we see them discuss, but really the optics cannot be missed here of the timing of this visit.

The Kremlin has said that the Putin visit was planned months in advance, and of course we know that President Donald Trump changed the timing of his visit to China as a result of the war in Iran, but that said, going forward with this visit on this schedule creates this real split screen where we're going to see Putin arriving just as Trump did, with a big delegation of ministers, as well as business leaders.

And then, there's also the camaraderie between Xi and Putin themselves. These are two leaders who have met more than 40 times. They have a close personal rapport. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is not necessarily one to have a lot of warmth in his meetings with other leaders, but that's not the case with Putin. They call each other dear friend, old friend, and certainly we're expecting to see those optics play out, and there will be a lot of interest in comparing what that looked like in terms of the welcome that Donald Trump has given, as well as the one that's afforded to Putin when he -- when he indeed meets Xi Jinping here in Beijing tomorrow morning.

But in terms of hard deals, I mean, certainly there's a few different things that we're keeping a very close eye on. One is just the timing, in the sense that this is a real opportunity for Xi to discuss with Putin what the contents of his meeting with Trump was. Certainly, that meeting saw these two powers really stabilize their relationship in a way that perhaps the Chinese leader will think is important to communicate to Putin.

On the other hand, this meeting is happening at a time when Russia is suffering serious losses in Ukraine, and so we're expecting this to also be on the table for talks between these two leaders, as well as the war in Iran.

[02:10:02]

Now, the other aspect of this, that in terms of a hard deal that we may be looking at, is any progress on the power of Siberia 2 pipeline. This is a major gas pipeline, which we've seen years and years of discussion on, really, and there's been some progress moving it forward last September, and now we're expecting to see perhaps, given that there's such an energy constraint due to the Strait of Hormuz and the constraints for China there, that they may actually increase an existing dependence on Russia for energy as a result of that.

So, there's certainly a lot on the table, and we'll be watching a lot to come in the coming hours and into tomorrow.

CHURCH: All right, Simone McCarthy joining us live from Beijing. Many thanks for that report, appreciate it.

Well, joining us now is CNN contributor and former CNN Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty. She's also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, good to have you with us.

JILL DOUGHERTY, FORMER CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to meet with China's President Xi Jinping comes right after U.S. President Donald Trump's trip to China. What should we all make of the optics of the timing of Putin's visit with Xi, and what all do you expect to come out of the two leaders' discussions?

DOUGHERTY: Well, you know, this timing issue, as you just heard from Simone, is really probably was planned in advance, and there may be some serendipity here, but it really is striking that you have Putin now coming just days after President Trump, I'd have to say that the visits are very different. Trump had a lot of pageantry, you know, pomp and circumstance, etcetera.

But I would say Putin's visit is more a working visit. He has traveled to China at least 25 times. He knows Xi very well, they have a very good relationship, and so it's really getting to the nitty gritty of this long-term relationship, you know, comprehensive strategic partnership, as they call it.

And I think the timing, in terms of the war in Ukraine, also is very important, and Iran, so if you look at Trump, Trump came out of this with a lot of very good pictures, but nothing much on Taiwan trade or Iran, and Putin's coming with pretty specific things, as you just heard, power of Siberia 2, that is a pipeline that they want build and have actually moved down the road on agreeing to from Siberia to China, but they haven't been able to agree on a price, so that's important to Putin.

And then, also, I think to keep that relationship, which has certain subtleties when it comes to the war in Ukraine. You know, China is supplying high-tech and other kind of dual-use technology. Putin wants that to continue.

So, the balancing act here, I think the big picture really is that China is dealing with two countries that are at war, United States in Iran, Russia in Ukraine, and that's the drama.

So, China comes out of this looking pretty good as the adult in the room that is able to bring these people together and be the mediating stabilizing force in the world.

CHURCH: And of course, as you say, Russia's war with Ukraine rages on just days after Russia's deadly strikes on Kyiv. Ukraine struck back with that massive attack on 14 different regions across Russia, targeting various facilities, including Moscow. How significant are these attacks on Russian soil, and do they represent some sort of shift in the direction of this war do you think?

DOUGHERTY: They're quite significant. I mean, this is something that Putin is quite worried about. Don't forget, just in an immediate sense, they have hit Moscow -- sorry, early in the morning. They've hit Moscow, and Moscow is the most protected city in the entire Russia, and to be able to hit targets that civilians now know about, and also hitting oil depots and oil processing, etcetera. This is very significant, and the fact that they, the Ukrainians, have been able to put so many drones and very long-range sophisticated drones into Russia is very worrying for Putin.

That said, this war seems to be kind of frozen, although you'd have to say -- if you were using a scorecard you would have to say that the Ukrainians are beginning to score some very significant points, that could be why Putin is retaliating with really brutal bombing by both drones and missiles and rockets, etcetera.

[02:15:05]

So, I don't think you know the discussion is will he stop, what does Putin want in the end. There's no sign that Putin is going to stop, but Rosemary, you know it's not all about territory, we talk about that a lot. I think it's more control of Ukraine in some fashion, and neutering Ukraine and its ability to integrate into Europe, that's what Putin's looking at.

But right now, I don't think negotiations really seem to be going anywhere.

CHURCH: No. And Jill, how are Russian civilians responding to these attacks from Ukraine, and how might that play into perhaps increasing the pressure on Putin to find a way to end this war?

DOUGHERTY: There's worry, there's no question. I mean, if you look at social media, etcetera, there is a lot of concern among Russian civilians, but the question is, who do they blame? Do they blame Putin? And it's not clear that they always do.

I think the biggest furor that came out in the recent weeks was actually Putin shutting down the internet and restricting Russians' ability to get information, that you know, plus the vulnerability of Russia. I think are taking a toll on the popularity and the belief in Putin, but how far that goes, you know, he's able to control a lot with severe repression in Russia at this point, so the political price is unclear domestically what he will pay for that.

CHURCH: Jill Dougherty, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it. Well, the deadly Ebola outbreak in Central Africa is raising health

concerns around the globe. Still to come, the latest on the international efforts to contain the spread of the virus. Back with that in just a moment.

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[02:21:28]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Millions of dollars in foreign aid and several tons of emergency medical supplies are pouring into Central Africa amid a global effort to contain the deadly Ebola outbreak. The U.S. State Department says it's working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. military on the potential repatriation of Americans affected by the crisis.

On Monday, the CDC confirmed an American working in the Democratic Republic of Congo tested positive for Ebola, but did not name the individual. An international charity called Surge reported that a Christian missionary physician, Dr. Peter Stafford, caught the virus while treating patients at a hospital in the region.

According to the Africa CDC, there are now more than 100 suspected deaths linked to the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, the World Health Organization has yet to declare a pandemic, but is warning that the spike in cases could indicate a much larger outbreak.

CNN's Larry Madowo has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This remote corner of the Democratic Republic of Congo, now the epicenter of a deadly outbreak, more than 100 deaths so far authorities suspect from Ebola. The U.S. CDC scrambling to evacuate quote a small number of Americans who are directly affected.

When we heard about Ebola, we were terrified, this man says, even though the disease has affected us before, here it is again.

As authorities rush to stop the spread of the virus, there is currently no approved treatment or vaccine for this strain. The relatively rare Bundibugyo strain kills an estimated 25 to 40 percent of those who catch it, according to Medicine Stand Frontier.

Like other Ebola strains, it's highly infectious, transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected people. It's also frequently spread at the funerals of its victims.

This clinic in the affected region is already treating one suspected case and is preparing for more. A doctor there telling CNN supplies of vital PPE are already starting to run low.

DR. PATIENT MAZIRANE, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, UNIVERSELLE CLINIC (through translator): This is a major battle, which requires enormous resources in order to save all those who can still be saved from this illness.

MADOWO (voice-over): The World Health Organization has declared this outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, but stopped short of calling it a pandemic. Experts warn cutbacks in funding by the Trump administration may limit the response.

DR. AHMED OGWELL, CEO AND PRESIDENT, VILLAGEREACH: With reduced assistance into the health sector, it means that we have less resources, and therefore it's a very difficult time when it comes to responding to an outbreak like this.

MADOWO (voice-over): There are fears this new outbreak could be larger in scale than authorities are currently aware of. The first suspected case was reported around a month ago.

Larry Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The bodies of four missing Italian scuba divers have been located in an underwater cave in the Maldives. They died during an expedition last Thursday, along with their diving instructor, whose body was discovered that day.

Now, teams of expert divers are preparing for a high-risk recovery mission to bring the rest of them to the surface. CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: This really does present a whole new set of challenges for these divers because the bodies were found, or located by these cameras, in the deepest part of the third chamber of this underground cave system. And that's about 70 meters deep. That's 230 feet. That's a 20-story building, basically. And so what they've got to do is conduct these risk assessments before they try to go down and retrieve the bodies.

[02:25:22]

Now that will include understanding the currents of the water in the cave and on the way down. And, you know, because the rescue or the recovery operation has already claimed the life of one diver, they're particularly worried. Now they've got some three Finnish deep cave divers who have joined the team. They weren't able to dive very deep today. They weren't able to go past the decompression line because they had just taken a long flight. But tomorrow we expect them to be an integral part of this if the conditions allow them to not put anyone else at risk and not make this tragedy even worse than it already is.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Oil shortages are putting the squeeze on many Asian economies and businesses, but a Thai airline found a way to increase profits by a large margin. I will speak with its CEO. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:40]

CHURCH: President Trump says he's holding off on a planned attack on Iran at the request of Gulf allies. The decision comes as Trump says negotiations to end the war are becoming more serious. But he's instructed his military leadership to be ready on a moment's notice if a deal is not reached.

Meanwhile Iran's foreign ministry has said on Monday that it has sent a response after the U.S. criticized its latest proposal through mediators from Pakistan. Tehran however is still mistrustful of the U.S. amid ongoing negotiations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESMAEIL BAQAEL, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): We approach every diplomatic process with deep distrust and serious skepticism in order to safeguard the national interest of Iran. Iran is aware that given the United States' track record of undermining negotiations, it may repeat the same actions at any moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Iran has maintained it will be ready if the U.S. decides to resume military operations. Now, some Iranians are preparing for that possibility. CNN operates in Iran only with government permission, but retains full editorial control of what it reports. Here is our Chief Global Affairs Correspondent, Matthew Chance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Across Iran, the tension and the rhetoric is getting stronger. Thousands have been gathering every night for state-sponsored rallies, mobilizing supporters against the United States.

CHANCE: How concerned are you that the war may start again soon?

TIANA, RALLY ATTENDEE: Concerned?

CHANCE: Worried?

TIANA: I'm not worried. Why should I be worried? Because I'm so ready to sacrifice my life for my country, for my people. So, no, I'm not worried at all, at all.

CHANCE (voice-over): This man's sign reads, "Nuclear technology, missiles are as important as borders." Key sticking points in stalled peace talks.

Still amid escalating threats from the White House, ordinary Iranians are now being urged to prepare for war. CHANCE: Well, these rallies or gatherings have been taking place every single night for the past several weeks, so they're not new. But what is new is the introduction of weapons and these kiosks have been set up in each of these squares where members of the military, they can sit there with masks on, they're showing people, in this case a woman, basic skills of how to use what I think is an AK-47 or a Kalashnikov, things like that.

Look over here, they're showing children how to use them as well. It's all part of a sort of state-sponsored call to arms in case the war begins again.

CHANCE (voice-over): It's all guns on state television, several Iranian channels broadcasting their hosts brandishing assault rifles.

They gave me a weapon so I could learn how to use it, like you, this anchor tells her viewers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: [Foreign Language]

CHANCE (voice-over): After his on-air training, this presenter fires off a round into the studio ceiling.

But not all Iranians are gunning for a fight. Just around the corner from the rally, hints at the diversity of views about their country's plight.

CHANCE: Well, it's a very different atmosphere in this part of town. People are sitting with their partners having coffees, strolling around the bookstores or just hanging out with their friends. And you talk to people, you get very different views as well. People didn't want to talk on camera, but off-camera one woman said to me she just wanted peace and freedom. Another one said she wanted to live in a normal country where there was a potential future for her children.

[02:35:00]

CHANCE (voice-over): But Iran's future to many Iranians looks increasingly clear, especially amid regular threats from President Trump. We're waiting for the war.

CHANCE: Waiting for the war?

FATIMA, RALLY ATTENDEE: We're waiting. We're here because we know this war isn't over. We know he's not going to negotiate anything. He's just going to be like, either you do what I tell you or I'm going to kill you, again.

CHANCE (voice-over): And it may be that bleak sense of inevitability drowning out any voices of compromise.

Matthew Chance, CNN, in Tehran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The looming threat of a military escalation in Iran has been causing more volatility on Wall Street, and oil prices rose on Monday. The global benchmark Brent crude was trading at $112 a barrel. It has since retreated. You can see there it is at $109.89.

Well, Thailand is one of many economies struggling with a limited oil supply and that's forcing companies to change how they're doing business. Bangkok Airways recently released its first quarter results and is reporting a net profit of $62 million.

I want to bring in Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, the airline's CEO and president. He joins us from Bangkok. Appreciate you talking with us.

PUTTIPONG PRASARTTONG-OSOTH, PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BANGKOK AIRWAYS: Hello.

CHURCH: So good to see you. So your airline is reporting increasing profits despite the war in Iran making access to fuel very challenging, of course. So how are you doing that amid these fuel shortages?

PRASARTTONG-OSOTH Actually, what we have done, basically we are facing probably the same problem as the others, but in terms of cost that we can make it lower, better than the year before, that is one of the cases.

CHURCH: So what measures are you putting in place then to deal with these fuel shortages?

PRASARTTONG-OSOTH: Basically, we have to keep monitoring the fuel shortage situation. But in Thailand, at the moment, I have received information that we still have enough fuel for airlines in Thailand. But in terms of cost, we still need to work harder to make sure that we can control all the controllable costs and not have anything exceeding what it is supposed to.

CHURCH: So what advice would you give others across Asia? Because it really is Asia that's suffering more than most parts of the world, isn't it, as a result of the Iran war? What advice would you give everyone?

PRASARTTONG-OSOTH: I think each country may have different policies and different ways of managing their fuel consumption. But I would suggest that we have to keep an eye on and be really flexible to adjust yourself to be able to get along with what would happen and make sure that you can transform or transfer anything to be able to survive.

Of course, even though for the ticket price, if you can make it higher or in terms of cost, any kind of cost or any investment that you can see, it can be prolonged, it can be waived.

CHURCH: And what effect are these fuel shortages having on tourism across Asia?

PRASARTTONG-OSOTH: For Thailand, it might be something different from other countries because what we have seen, tourists may still have a number to come to Thailand. But with the other countries, it might be accordingly. But in terms of fuel shortages, maybe we have to work with the government, if they can, to be sure that they still have fuel.

CHURCH: And of course, with no clear end in sight to this war, how much longer do you think your airline and others across Asia can continue to deal with this crisis situation?

[02:40:00]

PRASARTTONG-OSOTH: As with all the supporting and with all the help from the government, we might be able to withstand the circumstances, but hopefully, the fuel price would be lower in not longer period, expecting by probably the end of the year, if it can be, or if the war can be over soon.

CHURCH: Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, thank you so much for talking with us, we appreciate it.

PRASARTTONG-OSOTH: Thank you.

CHURCH: U.S. sanctions, tariffs and the blockade of Cuba are worsening the island's ongoing energy and economic crisis. Just ahead, the devastating toll it is taking on the Cuban people. We're back with that in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:42]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Japanese Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, is in South Korea for a summit with South Korean President, Lee Jae Myung. The meeting is being held in President Lee's hometown. It mirrors a summit earlier this year characterized as drumstick diplomacy, in which the two leaders jammed on drums to K-pop songs in Takaichi's hometown. Reports in Japan say they are expected to sign an agreement on securing crude oil supplies.

Cuban President, Miguel Diaz-Canel, says that U.S. military action on the island would spark "a bloodbath" with incalculable consequences for his country. In a social media post on Monday, he reiterated that Cuba poses no threat to the United States, but maintains the right to defend itself.

The Trump administration announced more sanctions on Cuba Monday. This time, it's targeting intelligence and security agencies, as well as a number of officials. But it's the Cuban people ultimately paying the price, as CNN's Patrick Oppmann reports from Havana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT AND HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): This is what brought Cuba to its breaking point. For decades, Venezuela had been Havana's biggest oil supplier. Then overnight, its President, Nicolas Maduro, was out of power.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The dictator and terrorist, Maduro, is finally gone in Venezuela. People are free.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Under U.S. pressure, Caracas pulled the plug on its closest ally, which already had a troubled economy.

MARCO RUBIO, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: We would love to see the regime now change. We would like to -- that doesn't mean that we're going to make a change, but we would love to see it change.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Once the Trump administration threatened tariffs on countries that send oil to the communist-run government, no one dared to come to its rescue. The impact on this island nation of 10 million people has been devastating.

Blackouts stretching past 20 hours a day became the new normal in many areas. And while at first, there were endless lines at gas stations, they eventually cleared because there's no longer any gas. Food prices spiked, and shortages soon followed.

ANAYASI, FOOD VENDOR (through translator): We are paying two, three times as much to restock. There's no food.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Everywhere you look, there are piles of trash, breeding grounds for diseases and despair.

JOANI MANUEL TABLADA FAL, CUBAN RESIDENT (through translator): For a man that works so hard, look at my money, 23 pesos.

OPPMANN (voice-over): That's less than $1. Add to that tourism grinding to a halt, and you have a perfect storm. Cubans are no strangers to economic hardship. Following Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, they've endured America's embargo and their own government's disastrous economic missteps. But in my 14 years as a foreign correspondent in this country, I've never seen Cubans suffering to such a degree.

MICHAEL LOPEZ, FISHERMAN (through translator): It's logical. If there's no oil, there's no industry, no work. we will see how this ends.

OPPMANN (voice-over): And that is something I'm hearing again and again from residents, with some unleashing their anger into the streets.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The children don't have food to eat, they can't go to school. We are desperate. The women have lost 20 pounds. We're anxious. We don't have a way to support our kids.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Now, U.S. officials say they are seeking a federal indictment against 94-year-old former leader, Raul Castro, still believed to wield great power. His hand-picked successor says Cuba is preparing to defend against any U.S. attack.

MIGUEL DIAZ-CANEL, PRESIDENT OF CUBA (through translator): Each Cuban man and woman has a rifle. OPPMANN (voice-over): It's the closest that Washington and Havana have come to outright confrontation since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.

OPPMANN: Donald Trump has said he may put a U.S. aircraft carrier right here off Cuba's coast and tell the island's leadership to leave power, that the mere sight of America's military might would be enough to take Cuba without firing a shot.

Cuba's officials, though, have said that any U.S. military action would lead to a loss of both Cuban and U.S. lives.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Over the years, Cubans have told me they just want a normal life, to live in a country where things work and where they have the opportunity to prosper and live in peace.

[02;50:00]

At least for the moment, that simple dream seems farther away than ever.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, Elon Musk did not get the outcome he wanted from his lawsuit against OpenAI. We will have his reaction to the verdict, as well as OpenAI's next big business move. Back in a moment.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Billionaire Elon Musk and his legal team are already planning to appeal the outcome of his lawsuit against OpenAI. On Monday, a jury in California found that Musk's lawsuit took too long to be filed and was beyond the statute of limitations. The trial had the potential to force the tech company to change the way it operates.

Here's what attorneys for both parties had to say after the ruling.

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WILLIAM SAVITT, ATTORNEY FOR OPENAI: This lawsuit was a hypocritical attempt to sabotage a competitor and to overcome a long history of very bad predictions about what OpenAI has been and will become.

MARC TOBEROFF, ATTORNEY FOR ELON MUSK: This at its core is a travesty, and but for Musk, you know, they'd get away with it, and they shouldn't.

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CHURCH: More details now from CNN's Hadas Gold. HADAS GOLD, CNN A.I. CORRESPONDENT: After three weeks of testimony from some of the biggest names in tech, it took a jury in California under two hours to render a verdict in Elon Musk's massive case against OpenAI and its leader, Sam Altman. The jury essentially saying that Musk waited too long to bring this case that the statute of limitations had passed.

Elon Musk, who helped fund and co-found OpenAI, he sued the company, claiming that he was deceived, that its leaders were unjustly enriched, that they breached a charitable trust when they transitioned OpenAI from being a pure non-profit to having a for-profit structure. It's now a for-profit overseen by a non-profit foundation board and is one of the most valuable companies in tech.

But his claims were essentially rendered moot because the jury and the judge agreed, and the judge had the final say in this, they said that the statute of limitations had passed. The judge told Elon Musk's lawyer in court today that there's a substantial amount of evidence to support the jury's findings.

OpenAI had argued in its defense that Elon Musk had long wanted OpenAI to have some sort of for-profit structure to help it raise money to fund the expensive development of A.I. They said that when he wasn't able to gain control of OpenAI like he wanted, he left the company in 2018 and then went on to fund, to create a competitor, his company xAI.

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OpenAI was arguing that this was a case of somebody just trying to bring down a competitor.

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SAVITT: Did not take them two hours to conclude upon deliberation of hundreds and hundreds of pieces of evidence and days and days of testimony that Mr. Musk's lawsuit is nothing more than an after-the- fact contrivance that bears no relationship to reality.

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But Elon Musk is not done. He says that he plans to appeal this case. He wrote in a series of posts on his social media platform, X, that the judge and jury ruled on a technicality and not on the merits of the case. He went on to call the judge in this case a terrible activist Oakland judge, who simply used the jury as a fig leaf and create such a terrible precedent. She just handed out a free license to loot charities if you can keep the looting quiet for a few years.

For OpenAI, though, this means that their plan so far can continue as they wanted to. They are expecting to have a massive initial public offering later this year. Elon Musk in his case, he wanted the judge to actually revert OpenAI back to a non-profit status. And should he have been successful, that obviously would have scrambled OpenAI's plans. He also wanted Sam Altman to lose his job.

But none of that is going to happen, at least for now, while Elon Musk files his appeal.

Hadas Gold, CNN, New York.

CHURCH: Two Americans were detained after climbing into a monkey enclosure at the Ichikawa City Zoo near Tokyo. You are seeing video here from the incident on Sunday where an individual wearing a full- body mascot suit lowered themselves into the pit.

On the left, of course, you see the monkeys scrambling to safety. The enclosure is home to a viral sensation, with crowds flocking to see the baby monkey known as Punch carry around his stuffed orangutan. Following the incident, the enclosure was blocked off and several children's events were cancelled. Both Americans will be sent to prosecutors on Tuesday for allegedly obstructing zoo operations.

An asteroid the size of a bus or two has just safely flown past Earth. At its closest, it was about a quarter of the distance between the Earth and the moon. This photo shows the giant space rock as it made its way past us just hours ago. Asteroid 2026 JH2 was only discovered last week, and it might seem alarming that it was flying so close to the Earth. But scientists say it never posed a danger to us.

And thanks to new sensitive asteroid detection surveys, we are able to see how often these close passes happen.

I want to thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. "CNN Newsroom" with Polo Sandoval is next, after a quick break. Stay with us.

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