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Iran and U.S. Closing in on Deal to End Conflict; Crews Race to Prevent Chemical Tank Explosion in California; Texas Republicans Battle for U.S. Senate Nomination; Russia Attacks Kyiv; Israel Reacts To Latest Progress In U.S.-Iran Peace Talks; Trump: U.S. Will Not "Rush Into A Deal" With Iran; Champion's Family Attends NASCAR Tribute In North Carolina. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired May 25, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in United States and from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead on "CNN Newsroom," a potential peace deal between the U.S. and Iran is on the table, but Donald Trump says he's in no rush. A positive sign in the race to contain a toxic chemical in Southern California. I'll speak to the fire chief in charge of the operation. Plus, cutting edge technology up in the air. How would you feel about flying in an airplane piloted by A.I.? It could happen sooner than you think.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church."

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. We begin with the Iran war and officials from Tehran and Washington now signaling they're closing in on an agreement to turn the current ceasefire into a long-lasting resolution to the conflict. President Donald Trump is already boasting about the impending deal, saying in part -- quote -- "If I make a deal with Iran, it will be a good and proper one, not like the one made by Obama," but adds he will not rush into a deal with Iran. Here's what the top U.S. diplomat had to say on the latest negotiations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: We're either going to have a good agreement or we're going to have to deal with it another way. We'd prefer to have a good agreement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Julia Benbrook has more on the latest developments from the White House.

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JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Important to emphasize here that any detail specifics of a deal between the United States and Iran are still being worked out, and President Donald Trump is now saying that he is not in a rush to come to a deal and that he believes time is on his side.

I want to pull up one of his posts from Sunday where he said -- quote -- "The negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner. I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side. The blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed. Both sides must take their time and get it right."

Now, in recent remarks, Secretary of State Marco Rubio did say that he believes some progress has been made in recent days. He once again reiterated the goal here for the administration. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: What is the goal here? The goal here ultimately -- the ultimate goal is that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon. The president has been clear about that. They will never possess a nuclear weapon, certainly not as long as Donald Trump is president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: A senior administration official tells me that the framework agreement would then give the United States and Iran 60 more days to come to a final deal, that a deal would make sure that Iran cannot possess a nuclear weapon and is committed to giving up its highly-enriched uranium. Now, how that stockpile would be disposed of, that would be decided during a later phase.

When it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, that official says that it would be demined and open for business. They did not go into detail, though, on how that critical waterway would operate going forward.

Still a lot of questions here and, again, the president is now saying he is not in a rush to make a deal.

Julia Benbrook, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Let's bring in CNN's Ivan Watson live from Hong Kong. So, Ivan, it appears the U.S. and Iran are getting closer to making a deal that could potentially end the conflict. What are you learning about what the deal might look like?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, with the caveat that this isn't the first time that it looks like the two sides might come to an agreement and then like, you know, snoop Lucy from Snoopy with Charlie Brown, the football gets ripped away, you're back to threats and everything again.

But, for now, what it looks like we're hearing about is this memorandum of understanding. We have some reporting from Iranian state media suggesting that there are a couple of clauses that still remain to be unresolved. You've got U.S. officials saying that they're still waiting for some of the wording that the U.S. has proposed to come back from Tehran for agreement from that side.

[02:05:04]

But, for now, it looks like the main thrust of it, of phase one, is just to get the Strait of Hormuz reopened. And I might stress that before the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28th of this year, that strait was wide open. There were more than 100 ships a day steaming through that in both directions. Since then, Iran has shut it and it is, in its words, allowing a trickle of ships to go through, and it's claiming authority for it. So, what form a reopening might take, we still don't know until this possible deal is published.

And then, as you just heard from Julia Benbrook, the next stage of nuclear talks, that has kind of kicked out -- the can gets kicked down the road for another 30, 60 days, and there's some big blind spots there or areas of disagreement. And that was the initial reason for the U.S. and Israel, the stated reason for why they launched the war in the first place. They wanted to get rid, they said, of Iran's nuclear program. But, instead, it looks like the negotiations are focusing on the Strait of Hormuz right now.

President Trump signaling he is not in a rush. He doesn't want to look too desperate or thirsty for a deal. And meanwhile, take a listen to some of the messaging coming out of Tehran from the spokesperson for Iran's new supreme leader who hasn't been seen since his father was killed and he assumed the role.

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MAJ. GEN. MOHSEN REZAEI, MILITARY ADVISER TO IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER (through translator): About negotiation, the Islamic Republic has put the least costly path before you. The Islamic Republic is telling you that if you continue the war, we will make the American people miserable and the American economy miserable. Iran is here for a fair negotiation with you. You are the ones who martyred our supreme leader and dear commanders. That we are still talking to you, you should consider a valuable opportunity for yourselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Iran making no secret about the fact that they know that the longer this war goes on, the more pressure it puts on American voters, on the American economy, and they say it again and again and again. Iran is also under pressure. It suffered a devastating bombing campaign. Its ports are blockaded. And already, its economy was in dire straits before the war started.

But as an authoritarian country that controls the media, controls the internet, it can shut down dissent, whereas President Trump, while claiming he is not in a rush for a deal, is facing a deadline of midterm elections and trying to hold on to levers of power in the U.S. elected government and also with the fact that his war did not go according to plan, the Iranian regime survived. So, let's watch where the diplomacy goes if it, in fact, moves forward over the next couple of days. Rosemary?

CHURCH: We will certainly do that. Ivan Watson in Hong Kong with that live report, many thanks.

Oil markets have responded positively to the latest developments in the U.S.-Iran talks. Brent Crude, that is the global benchmark, and U.S. crude prices both dropped on Sunday, and they continue to fall. You see Brent crude there at 94.84. JPMorgan analysts expect oil prices to average $97 a barrel through the rest of the year if the Strait of Hormuz is reopened by early next month.

Officials say a crack in an overheating chemical tank at an aerospace facility in Southern California may be relieving some of the pressure inside, but there's still a risk of a catastrophic explosion. About 50,000 residents of the surrounding area are under evacuation orders due to risk of exposure to the toxic and highly flammable chemical held in the tank. We are looking at live pictures there of the facility. And the hazardous chemical known as MMA can cause major respiratory issues as well as dizziness and nausea. The EPA is leading efforts to monitor the air for any signs of the chemical.

T.J. McGovern is the interim fire chief for the Orange County Fire Authority. He joins us now. Thank you so much for being with us.

TJ MCGOVERN, INTERIM FIRE CHIEF, ORANGE COUNTY FIRE AUTHORITY: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: So, what is the latest on that crack in the toxic chemical tank? Is it releasing pressure and reducing the risk of a catastrophic explosion or is the tank still highly pressurized?

MCGOVERN: So, that is the question. Last night, you know, we did a really good night operation. We got a lot of good details that sent us into a new operational strategy today.

[02:09:57]

So, currently, as we're speaking right now, we are conducting an operation throughout the night again with the goal as the following, and this is what's important: We are doing our operation tonight to confirm that the pressure has been released and the bloody threat is eliminated. So, that is our goal tonight because that is a catastrophic, worst case scenario that we've all been talking about, that occurrence of a bloody.

But I want to be clear to everybody, you know, we're not there yet. So, we still got to go through this operation tonight. We have to vet it in the morning and reassure that that cylinder, that tank is not pressurized. So, that's really what we're doing right now. This operation will be through the night. And by tomorrow morning, Pacific standard time, that's where we're going to have, hopefully, a very good update for everybody. But right now, crews are engaged, trying to confirm that that tank is not pressurized. That's our priority right now. CHURCH: Right. And I know, of course, this crack gives you a glimmer of hope. As you've said, we don't know for sure yet. But how does the discovery of the crack change your strategy as your team tries to contain this threat?

MCGOVERN: Sure. So, what we're looking for with that crack -- we saw the crack. We saw it through a drone. And last night, we were able to get crews in there and also visualize it.

So, what we're looking for, if that crack goes all the way through, what that crack needs to tell us is has the pressure been released? So, you might have a crack, but there might be an internal cylinder. If that crack is not full thickness, then that pressure is still in there. That's why we got to do another operation to make sure that yes, there is a crack, but that crack is all the way through and the pressure has been relieved. If we didn't see that crack yesterday or the day before to confirm it yesterday, then we wouldn't been having this successful mission last night. So, now, it's all about confirming that the pressure has been released through the crack in question.

CHURCH: And, of course, this tank contains toxic MMA chemicals that are at risk of leaking into the air. When will the air be tested definitively to know if this is or is not happening? And what threat is posed to the public right now?

MCGOVERN: So, from the get go, we've been doing continuous air monitoring. And we have not had any limits outside the normal limits. So, we're continuously monitoring the air, and those are all coming back within normal limits.

So, right now, we do not have a leak. There is absolutely no leak right now. Initial, when the incident happened, it did off-gas through the relief valve like it was supposed to do. But right now, there is no leak. We just saw a crack on the top. We evaluated it, vetted it. And now, we just have to make sure that that crack went all the way through for the relief. But right now, there is no danger, there is no leak. As far as a leak, there is no danger via leak right now in the state it is in.

CHURCH: And those toxic MMA chemicals can cause major respiratory issues, dizziness, nausea, and other serious problems. We know that 50,000 people are under evacuation orders. Are they all now out of the affected area?

MCGOVERN: Yes. So, our evacuation zone is very large. And why we made that is we took a blast radius based off all the data and the intel we have. Basically, they have the size of the tank. We did projections of how far the blast radius would be, and those are our evacuation zones.

So, talking about that, if we can -- when we confirm that the pressure is relieved, that's going to eliminate the bloody threat. When the bloody threat is relieved, then our evacuation zones can shrink. And that's really what we're looking for, to confirm that it has been released, then we can start shrinking those evacuation zones. That's kind of a step that we're really looking forward to, getting those people back, you know, who are on the outskirts of those evacuation zones.

CHURCH: And chief, does this put the spotlight on the need for potentially dangerous chemical plants like this to be located farther away from residential areas going forward?

MCGOVERN: You know, with that, it's all about compliance. If these companies are compliant in routine inspections, in all their paperwork, and records are up to par, you know, they do all the safety checks, they can operate.

[02:14:57]

But when if they're not in compliance, and we don't know if the company is out of compliance, there's no indication that they are, things like this happen and also accidents happen. It appears that the cooling system malfunctioned on this to cause the alarm for us for a chemical spill a couple days ago to generate this incident.

CHURCH: Chief T.J. McGovern, thank you so much for talking with us, particularly right in the middle of this emergency for you. Many thanks.

MCGOVERN: Thank very much.

CHURCH: A showdown in Texas. Senator John Cornyn is trying to fend off a challenge from State Attorney General Ken Paxton. How President Trump's endorsement is impacting the race. Back with that and more in just a moment.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The candidates vying for the Republican Senate nomination in Texas are making their final pitches ahead of Tuesday's primary runoff. Incumbent Senator John Cornyn is trying to fight off a challenge from the Texas attorney general. Ken Paxton appears to have an edge after securing the endorsement of Donald Trump.

[02:19:57]

And that endorsement has some Republican lawmakers worried that Paxton's liabilities as a candidate may end up benefiting Democrats in the November midterms. The U.S. president took to social media on Sunday to urge voters to pick Paxton over Cornyn in the upcoming vote. Meanwhile, Cornyn is trying to downplay the White House snub.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS: I really don't think it was about me. I think it's very different from the Cassidy and Massie situation because I've been a Trump ally, as you point out. I think he got frustrated with the Senate not able to get what he wanted when he wanted it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Ed Levandera takes a closer look at the race and Paxton's baggage.

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ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Texas has a long history of big personalities dominating the political landscape. Then there's Ken Paxton, who has never been known for his commanding stage presence.

KEN PAXTON, TEXAS SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: I'm so honored to have President Trump's endorsement.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Even when he's telling supporters he has received President Trump's endorsement.

PAXTON: When he endorses, it has a tremendous impact.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): What Paxton might lack in charisma, he makes up for with unwavering MAGA loyalty.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: An attorney general who has really led the way.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): He was in Washington, D.C. with Trump on the day of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Paxton filed more than a hundred lawsuits as Texas attorney general against the Biden administration and led legal fights pushing false claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election.

UNKNOWN: The next senator of the great state of Texas.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): He has risen through the Republican ranks while dragging truckloads of scandal and controversy behind him. But in the Trump era, Paxton carries it all as a badge of honor.

PAXTON: Just like Donald Trump got impeached, I got impeached.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): In 2015, Paxton was indicted on felony securities and fraud charges for allegedly encouraging investors to buy stock in a company without disclosing he was being paid by that company. The case dragged on for years until he reached a settlement and the felony charges were formally dismissed.

In 2020, several members of Paxton's most senior staff reported him to the FBI, alleging abusing bribery, abuse of power, and misusing the attorney general's office to help a political donor. The Justice Department reportedly dropped the case just before Trump took office for the second time.

In May 2023, the Republican-controlled Texas legislature impeached Paxton over the whistleblower allegations. He was acquitted by the Texas Senate.

PAXTON: And it's by the grace of God. He absolutely delivered me, and he used the people of Texas to deliver me.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Paxton then turned his political gaze on John Cornyn's Senate seat.

PAXTON: The fake John Cornyn is going back, going away in about seven days.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Cornyn has made Paxton's character a focal point, raising allegations of infidelity and spotlighting Paxton's wife divorcing him on biblical grounds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Cheating on his wife with multiple women. Tearing apart his family and the family of a married woman he was involved with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Paxton has largely avoided talking about his marriage issues. But his daughter defended him in a campaign ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MADISON LEE, DAUGHTER OF KEN PAXTON: My dad is a really good guy. He loves God, he loves his family, and he loves his country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Some Republicans worry that he will lose to Democrat James Talarico in November.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CORNYN: I refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered, and shameless candidate like Ken Paxton risk everything we've worked so hard to build. Judgment day is coming for Ken Paxton.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Paxton is headed into that voter judgment day, having survived scandal after scandal, and carrying President Trump's support as a MAGA warrior.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Outgoing Congressman Thomas Massie says his part in a bipartisan push to release the Epstein files cost him his House seat. The Kentucky Republican reflected on his primary loss to Trump-backed candidate Ed Gallrein last week. The president's animosity towards Massie stems from his bill calling for the release of the Epstein documents as well as his pushback on issues like the war with Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R), KENTUCKY: I think the biggest crime I committed against the swamp was showing the American people that somebody on the right could join somebody on the left and get something done, which is releasing the Epstein files that everybody knew needed to be done. That's probably the only bill that has passed Washington, D.C. in the last 10 years that lobbyists haven't written. It was written by me and Ro Khanna.

And we used the pressure of the American people to cross the aisle and get things done. That's when they decided I had to be taken out, that I was becoming effective. So, they wanted to eliminate me.

[02:25:00]

And, by the way, they couldn't buy my vote in 14 years, so they bought this seat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: When asked if a run for the White House could be in his future, Massie said he would not rule anything out.

Russia's deadly strikes on Kyiv this weekend are leaving physical and psychological scars. At least four people were killed in the onslaught as Moscow fired hundreds of drones and missiles toward the Ukrainian capital early on Sunday morning. One of them, a new hypersonic ballistic missile. The Oreshnik's speed and trajectory make it nearly impossible for Ukraine's air defense system to stop it. It's only the third time that Russia has used the weapon in its war.

CNN's Sebastian Shukla has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN FIELD PRODUCER (voice-over): A devastating night for the residents of Ukraine's capital as Moscow launched one of the largest attacks the city has ever seen. Six hundred drones and 90 missiles, including the highly kinetic and powerful Oreshnik missile, one of the deadliest in Russia's arsenal, was launched at the city.

SHUKLA: This attack appeared to be a retaliation strike ordered by President Putin that called on his generals to come up with an attack plan following a Ukrainian attack. Moscow claimed it struck a college dormitory, killing 18 people. Moscow called that attack a terrorist incident.

But last night's attack left at least four people dead and 60 people injured, according to Ukrainian officials, with the focus being of this attack on the capital city.

SHUKLA (voice-over): The brutal nature of these attacks was also captured by CNN's teams on the ground, which speaks to the brutality of the attack, with plumes of smoke visible across the city from various different vantage points, terrifying the city's residents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (through translator): I was so scared. Honestly, I thought it was my last day. The building shook. My windows were blown out. And only then I started running away. I reached the bathroom to hide myself, at least there.

UNKNOWN (through translator): The bathroom is intact. But every other room was destroyed. The windows were blown out together with their frames. If I had stayed in the bedroom, I could have been crushed just like that. I tried to get out. The doors were blown into the staircase. I had to climb over them. And then I saw the second floor had caught fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHUKLA: Attacks like these are becoming more prevalent as the war in the east, in the Donbass, drives to an attritional phase. Neither side is able to make small gains, let alone take huge swathes of territory. Ukraine, though, has been recently able to deflect insane amounts of damage on Russia's oil and gas facilities, with Western intelligence officials telling CNN that they have managed to reap billions of dollars of damage on those facilities.

Sebastian Shukla, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, we will go to Tel Aviv for Israel's reaction to the latest developments in the war with Iran and why a peace deal with Tehran may not mean the end for the conflict in Lebanon.

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[02:31:26]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everyone.

More on our top story this hour. The U.S. and Iran are signaling progress in efforts to end the war. But crucial details of a framework agreement are still under negotiation. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv with Israel's reaction to where things stand in these talks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was only a few days ago that the Israeli prime minister was on the phone with President Trump, telling him that he thought it was a mistake to call off planned strikes against Iran. The Israeli prime minister was advocating on the phone for a return to all out war against Iran. But now, President Trump indicating that a deal with Iran is nearly negotiated and the Israeli prime minister got back on the phone with President Trump on Saturday evening.

But this time, the Israeli prime minister understood where things were headed. And now, in a post on social media, the Israeli prime minister is trying to diminish any notion of daylight with the U.S. president. This is the post that the Israeli prime minister posted in which he says that he and President Trump agreed that, quote, "any final agreement with Iran must eliminate the nuclear danger." He also said that his and President Trump's policies remain unchanged. That, quote, "Iran will not have a nuclear weapon." But this is perhaps the most interesting part of this post. He says that President Trump, quote, reaffirmed Israel's right to defend itself against threats on every front, including Lebanon. And that is very notable because this points to one of the potential points of disagreement here between the U.S. and Iran and how each side is interpreting this budding agreement.

And we've seen this movie before as it relates to Lebanon. The Israeli prime minister here is trying to retain the ability to carry out strikes against Hezbollah, despite the fact that Iran seems to believe that this agreement would mean that there would be a total ceasefire in Lebanon. And what we've seen over the last month and a half, as there has been already a ceasefire in Lebanon, is daily Israeli strikes against Hezbollah and Hezbollah, also carrying out attacks against Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.

But this is just one of several different potential areas of disagreement, as this agreement is coming close to fruition. We've seen already the ways in which Iranian media is talking about this potential deal and the way in which U.S. officials are talking about it.

And there are a range of disagreements over exactly how open the Strait of Hormuz will be following this agreement to whether or not Iran has privately made any commitments about reining in its nuclear program going forward. There's also a major disagreement, it seems, over Iranian frozen assets. Iranian officials describing in state media that those assets being unblocked would be a first step in any agreement. But the United States indicating this won't happen until the strait is reopened. It is a reminder that until every single word in this agreement is actually finalized and both sides sign on the dotted line, this deal is not yet done.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Joining us live from Cairo, Egypt, is Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House.

Appreciate you being with us.

SANAM VAKIL, ADJUNCT LECTURER, MIDDLE EAST STUDIES, JOHNS HOPKINS SAIS: Good morning.

CHURCH: Good morning to you, too.

Well, the U.S. and Iran are closing in on making a deal to end the conflict, despite both countries describing negotiating details differently.

[02:35:03]

How far away do you think a deal might be given? President Trump gave the impression over the weekend that a deal was imminent, but now says he's in no rush. VAKIL: Honestly, Rosemary, it's very hard to say. If I was judging

based on what I was reading on the news yesterday or on social media yesterday, I would say were very close. But then it appeared yesterday evening that both sides were walking back up. The suggestion that we were close.

So I think that there clearly some issues that haven't been ironed out. There is real intent to get to a deal. I think it's also clear that a deal is preferable than a return to military conflict. But there is a lot of sensitivity in terms of the framework, in terms of the structure, in terms of the oversight of who does what, when, and specifically when Iran receives sanctions, relief is going to result in a lot of criticism for President Trump from hawks on the Republican side. So we are still not there.

CHURCH: And the most recent version of what this deal may include list the importance of an end to the fighting, the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. ending its blockade of Iran's ports, and more time to negotiate difficult issues related to Iran's nuclear program. But the Trump administration says its first priority is Iran never having a nuclear weapon. So why does that issue come later, do you think?

VAKIL: Well, first of all, this is very much an American and Israeli talking point, because this is the so-called justification for having gone into this war, despite the fact that, of course, last summer in the 12-Day War, the United States did strike Iran's nuclear facilities and supposedly buried them. But the United States wants a commitment from Iran that Iran will never pursue a nuclear weapon, and it wants to extract, Iran's enriched uranium. And these are sensitive issues for Iran because this is the leverage that Iran holds. These are the sort of tools Iran has to also receive sanctions relief, which is what Iran needs.

So again, here, this is about sequencing, building consensus in Iran. And there is so little trust between the two parties. This is what we really have to understand. Iran has been bombed twice while it has been at the negotiating table with the United States, that there's no certainty that even if the United States makes an agreement with Iran, that it will stand by that agreement as well.

CHURCH: And how likely is it that this deal will be as comprehensive as President Trump wants, and will it be better than the one negotiated previously by the Obama administration, as Trump is insisting it will be?

VAKIL: Well, that's what President Trump needs to deliver a JCPOA, which is what it was called plus-plus. But what's problematic is by deferring the negotiations on the nuclear issue to a second phase, which should be negotiated within 30 or 60 day time frame. It's likely that this phase will drag on and we might not immediately arrive at that conclusion of a nuclear agreement.

So that's what's problematic. Obviously, Iran needs the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf to be opened. So does the United States. Both need that first confidence building measure to go through. But the pressure and the incentives to, to finish the second phase will also need to be there.

CHURCH: And the other part of this, of course, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says he and President Trump agree that Iran will never have nuclear weapons. But how likely is it that Trump will insist that Israel stop attacking southern Lebanon so that the U.S. president can end the war with Iran? Because that is one of the stumbling blocks, isn't it?

VAKIL: It is indeed. Iran wants all of the conflicts in the Middle East to come to a conclusion. It's also looking to preserve Hezbollah. And you know, that is very delicate. Whereas the president and Israel's prime minister want to separate the conflicts.

So I don't know how that's going to be done. I don't think that can be accomplished, but I do think that President Trump is tired of these Middle Eastern wars. And so he is putting a bit of a leash on Prime Minister Netanyahu. And it's worthwhile reminding everyone that this is a critical election year also in Israel, where we do have to see elections by October of this year. And the Israeli public certainly is also tired of these wars that might not have delivered the so-called peace and security that Prime Minister Netanyahu promised.

[02:40:04]

CHURCH: Sanam Vakil in Cairo, many thanks for joining us. Appreciate your analysis.

VAKIL: Thank you

CHURCH: An emotional tribute to NASCAR's Kyle Busch. We will have the latest from North Carolina, as fans mourn the loss of a racing legend.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Gisele Pelicot says she has found love again following the harrowing rape ordeal orchestrated by her former husband in France. Speaking to an audience at the Hay Festival in Wales, Pelicot describes learning to trust and love again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GISELE PELICOT, RAPE SURVIVOR: It's true. It's something that I didn't think -- I didn't think that could happen, especially at my age. First of all, I didn't really want to, to either fall in love, but life decided otherwise. And so we met. Our trajectories crossed at one moment, and I met this young man of 73. I didn't think that I'd be able to trust a man, but it's what happened to me. So you can see that everything can be allowed in life. You must never despair.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Pelicot's husband was convicted in 2024 of coordinating her rape dozens of times by various men over nearly a decade. Her story and personal resilience have made her a feminist icon, turning her experience into a public battle against rape culture. Well, back here in the United States, tens of thousands of NASCAR fans

honored the late two time NASCAR cup champion Kyle Busch on Sunday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, and his family was there for the tribute. Busch passed away on Thursday from complications from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis. Busch was meant to compete in the Coca-Cola 600, which ended with a win for one of his proteges, Daniel Suarez, during a shortened race due to rainy weather.

CNN's Rafael Romo has the latest from North Carolina as NASCAR mourns one of its legends.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There was a somber and solemn moment of silence before the race started here at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, followed by bagpipes playing amazing grace for the crowd of nearly 100,000 gathered here for the Coca-Cola 600 race that Kyle Busch would have participated in. NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell spoke publicly here at the racetrack, sharing words of encouragement for Samantha Busch. Kyle Busch's widow, and their two children, Brexton and Lennix, aged 11 and four.

This was his heartfelt message to the grieving family.

STEVE O'DONNELL, CEO OF NASCR: You and your children are NASCAR family forever. And Brexton and Lennix, your dad loved you with all his heart.

ROMO: There have been many emotional tributes here at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, from officials, fans and fellow race drivers like Tyler Reddick, who said that, quote, "wherever the bar was, Kyle was constantly racing it". We also heard from a foreign driver, Mexico's Daniel Suarez, who told reporters that in his 2015 season, Busch would call him every week just to make sure he was doing okay, which made him respect him to a whole different level.

As the driver, Busch often reveled in playing the villain and was given the nicknames Rowdy and Wild Thing, something that fans we spoke with were remembering here at the racetrack.

HUNTER TEETER, NASCAR FAN: Kyle Busch was so good. You loved to hate him, especially coming from fans that, you know, didn't really pull for him. But like you said, the way he raced, I mean, he is. And as all the cup drivers said, everybody in the garage just said he is one of the best to ever do it.

MICHELLE LUHRS, NASCAR FAN: The fans are here to, you know, honor him. Even those that disliked him, that everyone's going to honor him because he was such a great driver. You know, I mean, the most winningest in the history, future Hall of Famer. I mean, what's not to love?

ROMO: In a post on NASCAR, published a photo of an empty seat with a sign inscribed with the name of Kyle Busch, who today would have been sitting there with fellow drivers for a pre-race briefing. The caption for the photo read, "A seat that simply cannot be filled." Kyle Busch's legacy was also honored and recognized today at the Indianapolis motor speedway on lap 18.

Rafael Romo, CNN, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

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CHURCH: Coming up, you might trust A.I. to do some research, but how would you feel as a passenger on a flight piloted by artificial intelligence? Just ahead, we will take off in a plane without a human in control.

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[02:51:50]

CHURCH: In the coming hours, Pope Leo will present his first encyclical letter as pontiff, entitled Magnifica Humanitas or Magnificent Humanity. Vatican sources say it will address the protection of human dignity in the era of artificial intelligence. The letter is expected to focus on the impacts of A.I. on warfare, workers rights and the ethical risks of the growing technology. Pope Leo is expected to break from tradition and present the letter himself on Monday from the Vatican.

And artificial intelligence could be coming to a cockpit near you. The startup Merlin Labs wants to eventually fly your plane for you, and the aviation industry is warming up to the idea.

CNN's aviation correspondent Pete Muntean hops in the passenger seat for a firsthand A.I. ride.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I'm in the copilot seat of a Cessna.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three. Good

MUNTEAN (voice-over): And I'm about to find out what happens when the pilot flying is not human, but artificial intelligence.

TIM BURNS, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MERLIN LABS: This is our experimental caravan.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Tim Burns is the chief technology officer at Merlin Labs, a Boston startup developing a system that can be bolted into existing airplanes. Merlin says its system can fly the plane, talk to air traffic control, and even help make decisions about weather and routing.

BURNS: We're trying to capture the judgment and abilities of a real aviator.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Merlin says it has completed hundreds of test flights to see how the system performs in real world conditions, though it is likely years away from carrying passengers.

In the back of the plane, one of the company's engineers is monitoring what the A.I. is doing in real time.

MATT DIAMOND, TEST PILOT: I don't know if I know exactly what I'm in for here.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Alongside me is test pilot Matt Diamond, who on this flight won't be doing much piloting at all.

MUNTEAN: So this is just a manual takeoff?

DIAMOND: This is going to be an automated take.

MUNTEAN: Oh, this is an automated.

DIAMOND: Yeah.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Meaning the A.I. system is flying the airplane from the very start.

MUNTEAN: Nicely done.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): The next part of the demonstration, communicating with air traffic control. Merlin system displays its language processing on an iPad as it listens to a mock controller, repeats the instruction, and then flies the airplane to match it.

CONTROLLER: Magic 01, turn left, heading 090, descend 2000.

A.I. VOICE: Left 090 and down 2000. Magic 01.

DIAMOND: Authorized.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Authorized.

MUNTEAN: We're at about 1,500 feet now over Newport, Rhode Island. And we just turned on to the final approach here at Quonset State Airport. Now this is going to be an automated landing and the system will fly the airplane all the way down to the pavement.

DIAMOND: It's a challenging problem for the automation, but once you crack the code, then it's so much easier on the pilot.

MUNTEAN: You seem pretty confident over there.

DIAMOND: Oh, yeah.

MUNTEAN: Yeah, you seem pretty relaxed.

[02:55:00]

Should I be this relaxed?

DIAMOND: Yeah, absolutely.

MUNTEAN: OK, all right.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): As a pilot and a bit of a control freak, this is not exactly easy for me, but the system lines up with the runway and flies a gradual descent all the way to touchdown.

MUNTEAN: Smooth, easy.

DIAMOND: Right on center line.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Even still, putting A.I. in control of an airplane raises big questions about safety and trust.

Merlin CEO Matthew George.

MATTHEW GEORGE, CEO, MERLIN LABS: What were building is certainly very sci-fi, but were doing it in a responsible, incremental way.

MUNTEAN: Will this put pilots out of jobs?

GEORGE: It won't. This is sitting alongside pilots, not necessarily replacing pilots and enabling those pilots to do more of what they do best, which is operate aircraft safely.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): That could be appealing to airlines worldwide, which will need to hire more than 600,000 new pilots over the next 20 years, according to Boeing.

Merlin has already secured $100 million contract with the U.S. Air Force to eventually fly cargo planes without pilots on board at all. But convincing passengers may be the hardest part.

MIKE TANNENBAUM, PASSENGER: As long as it's safe and a more efficient, and test it out in advance, I'm for it.

MEG MCKNIGHT, PASSENGER: But I don't know if I trust A.I. in the air. I doubt I trust it.

STEVE COLEMAN, PASSENGER: I like the idea of humans having control. I don't like the idea of machines having control.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Pete Muntean, CNN, Quonset, Rhode Island.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Are you ready for that?

All right. Finally, a unique tradition marked the climax of Hong Kong's annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival. 12 people scrambled up a tower 14 meters or nearly 50 feet tall, to grab as many buns as possible. The climbers had a three minute limit. They received points based on how high they snatched the buns.

According to tradition, getting a bun from the top of the tower brings luck to their family, and at the end, a bun king and queen were chosen. Well done.

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. Stick around.

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