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U.S. and Iran Reach Tentative Deal, Trump Yet to Sign Off; Blue Origin's "New Glenn" Rocket Explodes; Rescue Workers Working to Extract Five Men from Flooded Cave; U.S. Cruise Passengers Allowed To Go Home Under 24/7 Watch; Proposed U.S. Ebola Facility In Kenya Sparks Backlash; FAA Moves To Keep Drones Away From U.S. Venues; Heat Wave Bakes Western Europe But Cool-Down Expected Soon. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired May 29, 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]

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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello, wherever you are in the world. You are now in the "CNN Newsroom" with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta. It is so good to have you with me.

Coming up on the show, the U.S. and Iran reach a tentative deal, but President Donald Trump's approval remains up in the air. A Blue Origin rocket explodes during a test on the launchpad. The impact that this will have on the next steps for space exploration. And rescue workers in Laos are hopeful that they can bring five men trapped in a cave to safety, and that's if the weather holds.

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

HUNTE: Welcome. We are learning that the U.S. has reached a tentative agreement with Iran. It is now down to just a couple of sticking points. But Vice President J.D. Vance says it's hard to say whether President Trump will actually sign off on it. U.S. officials say the potential deal would include reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting the U.S. blockade on Iran's ports. It would also set off 60 more days of negotiation to address Iran's nuclear program. Iranian state media citing unnamed sources close to the negotiating team is reporting that the text of the proposed agreement -- quote -- "has not yet been finalized or made definitive."

CNN's Alayna Treene is following the latest developments for us from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: U.S. officials that my colleague Kevin Liptak and I have spoken with say that there has been a tentative agreement that has been reached on this memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran, essentially a short-term framework that would then trigger another 60 days of negotiations on this entire nuclear deal. Now, what would actually be in this framework as we understand it in its latest form is, one, there would be an agreement to immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels and, in return, the United States would get rid of its blockade on Iranian ports. They would also have a commitment from the Iranian side not to develop a nuclear weapon.

But the thorniest issues, we're told, still need to be worked out, and that's actually expected to happen on the other side in that 60-day period where they really get into the nitty-gritty of what this more permanent, longer lasting deal could look like. That includes, of course, one of the biggest issues that has been, you know, an obsession of Donald Trump's. One, the enforcement mechanism to ensure that when Iran says they would not create a nuclear weapon, how does the United States and the Trump administration hold them to their word? The other, of course, being what happens with the highly- enriched uranium in Iran's possession.

Now, I will say, from the conversations I've had with Trump officials today, they are optimistic about where things stand. But as always, it's hard to know whether or not that optimism is really going to last. And, of course, there has been skepticism because, one, President Donald Trump has not yet signed off on this agreement and, as far as we know, the supreme leader of Iran hasn't either.

Now, we did hear from the vice president, J.D. Vance, Thursday evening when he was getting off a plane from his trip to Colorado. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think it's hard to say exactly when or if the president is going to sign the MOU. We're going back and forth on a couple of language points. I do think that we've made a lot of progress here. It's very clear that I think the Iranians, they want to deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, he said he can't guarantee that they're going to get there. He also argued that he doesn't know if the president is going to sign this or when he would sign this memorandum of understanding. But, again, optimism from him as well. So, we really have to see where this all ends up. And, as always, any sort of change from either the United States or Iran and particularly their leaders could upend this entire state of play and progress. So, we'll be watching closer to see whether there's any movement and whether or not the president, President Donald Trump, feels closer to wanting to sign his approval off on this.

Alayna Treene, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Let's go to Mina Al-Oraibi, editor-in-chief at "The National." She's joining us live now from London. Thank you for being with me. I appreciate it. We are hearing U.S. officials say they're very close to a deal with Iran that could extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But we have also seen fresh sanctions, military incidents and accusations of violations. How fragile is this process right now and what could still derail it?

[02:05:00]

MINA AL-ORAIBI, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE NATIONAL: Hi, Ben. Indeed it is fragile. We've seen over the last -- just couple of days, Iran strike Kuwait, the U.S. strike at Iran. Even though the U.S. has said no drone was downed over Iran, Iran claims that it downed a drone, coming in to attack on its facilities, their abbas was also struck. This was all in the last three days.

So, there is both military activity but, of course, there is continued concern about the Strait of Hormuz not only being blocked, but Iran making statements saying that they would still have some sort of control. The sticking points publicly seem to be very much there, especially on the issue of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in international waters.

We've heard from American officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance, saying that the agreement is somewhere that President Trump would be in a position to accept it, and he has made very clear that this reform has to be absolutely open. So, it's fragile not only because of the activity that's happening on the ground, but also because they seem to still be at a distance.

However, there is incredible diplomacy going on in the region. There's also the foreign minister of Pakistan in Washington today. So, we'll have to see where those talks go.

Let's also keep in mind that this is an agreement for further negotiations. This is not going to be the final agreement. Thanks to a point that actually can get us to a lasting ceasefire or a peaceful resolution. This is to give us 60 days for further negotiations to come to a more comprehensive deal that, of course, has to include the nuclear program and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

HUNTE: Well, let's talk about what could potentially happen within that negotiation period because one apparent red line for Washington is the freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Do you think there is any realistic compromise there or is that issue completely non-negotiable?

AL-ORAIBI: It is non-negotiable that the Strait of Hormuz is completely open. This is an issue not, of course, just for the U.S. and the Gulf countries, but globally. We've heard countries from far as Singapore through into Europe, all making it very clear that they cannot accept the Strait of Hormuz being subjected to at all, not only because of the realities on the ground, that 20 percent, as we've said several times on this program, 20 percent of the world's energy comes through the Strait of Hormuz, but it would set a very dangerous precedent for waterways all over the world. And so, it cannot be acceptable that anything other than a full freedom of navigation coming back into the Strait of Hormuz. Iranians, of course, have discovered a very powerful weapon that they want to be able to use. And so, they will negotiate very hard to have some sort of control. They were trying to pull Iran into this. The Iranians have made assurances that they did not plan to be part of a toll with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. That's an important indicator not only for the U.S. but also for the region.

HUNTE: Let's talk about the markets as well because the oil markets do seem to be betting that diplomacy will win out here with prices falling sharply on reports of possible agreement. Do you think the investors are getting ahead of themselves, though?

AL-ORAIBI: The markets have been very interesting in the last two and a half years in terms of how they've reacted. I mean, clearly, the fact that this seems to be the most serious point of coming to a negotiated settlement over the reopening of Strait of Hormuz and the statements from the U.S. that they will not accept any sort of closure on the Strait of Hormuz has meant that prices can ease.

As to whether they're getting ahead themselves, let's not forget there was hundreds of reporters heading to Pakistan, expecting that there would be direct negotiations only a few weeks ago, and that didn't happen. So, anything is possible at this point.

HUNTE: Critics do say that the current talks are heavily focused on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear program, but violence and instability do continue elsewhere in the region, including Lebanon, of course. How important do you think it is that those wider regional tensions are sorted out?

AL-ORAIBI: Of course, vital not only to sort out the tensions, but to stop the Israeli bombing on Lebanon and also to stop Hezbollah from taking Lebanon hostage and dragging the country further into war. So, that is vital.

However, Lebanon is an independent state. Iran cannot be allowed to hijack Lebanon's sovereignty and decision-making in determining how this stop. So, for many Lebanese, for many Arabs, it's important that any deal that includes other countries, be it Lebanon, be it Iraq, be it Palestine, are conducted by the people of those countries and not given to Iran as a card to negotiate over. So, yes, absolutely, the war on Lebanon has to stop and the strikes on Lebanon have to stop. And also, Hezbollah has to be disarmed, that it cannot be part of a negotiation with Iran.

[02:10:03]

What's important to widen out the Iranian talks is, of course, to stop Iran's ability to launch missiles and drones on its neighbors, particularly the Gulf countries, but also to stop militias in Iraq doing the same. So, I think there is that dynamic where Iran has direct control of proxies that are leading to further war in the region.

HUNTE: OK, we'll leave it there for now. Mina Al-Oraibi, as always, thank you so much. Appreciate it. AL-ORAIBI: Thanks, Ben.

HUNTE: Well, let's keep talking about Lebanon. It is unclear how a tentative deal with Iran could affect the conflict there, where Israel is escalating its military campaign. An Israeli source says the IDF targeted a Hezbollah missile unit commander in Beirut on Thursday. That's marking the first strike in Lebanon's capital in weeks.

The United Nations says it's "deeply alarmed" -- that's a quote -- by the latest wave of Israeli strikes following one of the deadliest days since a fragile ceasefire took effect last month. Lebanese officials say at least 34 people were killed and 77 others injured in Israeli strikes on Wednesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has directed the military to take more territory in Gaza. He spoke about it at a conference in the occupied West Bank on Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (through translator): Right now, we are tightening our grip on Hamas. Yes, we are now in 60 percent of the territory in the Gaza Strip. We were at 50 percent. We moved to 60 percent. My directive is to move to -- take it step by step. First of all, 70. Let's start with that. We are tightening our grip on them from every direction, and we will deal with the remnants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Under the October ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Israeli forces withdrew to a demarcation line known as the Yellow Line, which encompass roughly 53 percent of Gaza. Hamas accuses Israel of moving the line, saying this is an explicit and ongoing undermining of the ceasefire agreement.

CNN's Oren Liebermann is in Jerusalem with more on Israel's plans for Gaza and other developments in the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Major developments here when it comes to both Gaza and Lebanon. On Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he has directed the Israeli military to seize 70 percent of Gaza's territory. Now, in terms of how much land that is, it's not a big change from what Israel already controls. According to maps distributed by the Israeli military, the humanitarian aid organizations late last month, Israel already controls some 64 percent of Gaza.

Now, Netanyahu says he has told the army to push past that and take 70 percent of Gaza, and he suggested that more might even be possible. Hamas has said this is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement as Israel takes more and more of the territory. The agreement itself gave Israel about 53 percent.

But Israel was supposed to withdraw gradually from that territory as an international security force came in to secure the land. That international security force is nowhere to be seen. And during that time, Israel has not only carried out near daily strikes in Gaza, but has taken more and more of the territory, and that pushes some two million Palestinians into an ever-shrinking part of the shattered enclave.

Meanwhile, in Lebanon, the Israeli military has pushed deeper and carried out more strikes. Israel carried out its first strike in weeks on the capital city of Beirut. An Israeli source tells CNN that Israel was targeting a commander of Hezbollah's missile unit. The last time Israel carried out a strike in Beirut was on May 6th when Israel targeted the commander of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force.

So, you see, it's a fairly rare occasion for Israel to strike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, and that's because the U.S. and President Donald Trump have essentially restricted Israel from doing so as they try to push forward a diplomatic track between Israel and Lebanon.

But in the absence of strikes on Beirut, Israel has expanded its strikes in southern Lebanon, including the cities of Tyre and Nabatieh, as well as in the Beqaa Valley. Israel says it's going after more and more Hezbollah infrastructure sites and Hezbollah militants. Meanwhile, we have seen ongoing and continued barrages of explosive drones that Hezbollah has launched towards Israeli forces, both in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

Despite what's happening in terms of the conflict and the ceasefire that's almost impossible to see, the White House is set to host at the Pentagon representatives from the Israeli and Lebanese military on Friday as they try to move forward with a diplomatic track. They have had three direct meetings between ambassadors from Israel and Lebanon as the White House pushes on that diplomacy and tries to get to a broader ceasefire agreement. But from what we see now, that is very difficult to see.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Just hours ago, a Blue Origin ground test went terribly wrong. Look at that.

[02:14:59]

The company's "New Glenn" rocket exploded on launchpad at Cape Canaveral in Florida during what's known as a hot fire test. Blue Origin says no one was hurt and called the incident an anomaly. U.S. Space Force says an investigation is now underway.

Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos wrote on X -- quote -- "It's too early to know the root cause but we're already working to find it. Very rough day, but we'll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It's worth it."

The fireball is a huge misfortune for the company and its lunar mission, too. A space futures professor told us that launch site is going to be locked down for a long time to come.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURIE LESHIN, PROFESSOR OF SPACE FUTURES, ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY: This is going to be a setback, for sure, for Blue Origin's plans and for NASA's plans potentially because Blue Origin is a key partner in the next set of Artemis missions, which are ultimately designed to get our crew down to the surface of the moon. But the next mission, Artemis 3, was supposed to be the Orion capsule which, of course, we all saw during Artemis 2 taking the astronauts around the moon.

Another Orion capsule was supposed to dock with the landers. That would ultimately take them down to the surface in Earth orbit. And Blue Origin had one of those landers. So, it's going to be tough because that mission is supposed to happen next year, and it's hard to see how they're going to be ready to launch and operate their lander in Earth orbit on that kind of timeframe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Two people are attending to their wounds after a drone struck an apartment building in Romania during a Russian attack on a nearby port in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Romania's defense ministry says it happened during Russian strikes overnight. The Ukrainian port is about 65 kilometers away from the Romanian town. A CNN affiliate in Romania says the drone hit the apartment building's roof.

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HUNTE: Russian drones and missiles have repeatedly breached the airspace of NATO members in Europe, including Romania. The country has seen at least 28 such incidents, including one that forced it to scramble fighter jets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: OK, specialized divers begin a dangerous rescue of five men who have been trapped deep inside a flooded cave for more than a week now. When the survivors could make it back to the surface is ahead on CNN. Plus, the man accused of plotting a terror attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Austria's capital is sentenced to prison. All the details after this break. See you in a moment.

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HUNTE: Rescue workers are hoping for a break in the weather so that they can start to bring five men out from a remote cave in Laos, where they've been trapped for nearly a week now. Crews are pumping water out of the cave to clear a path to safety for the men. They had been searching for gold deposits when flash flooding trapped them more than 250 meters inside the cave system.

Mike Valerio joins us with more. Mr. Valerio, it's good to see you. We are hearing about some potential major moves later today. What is the latest you can bring us?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and let's hope so, Benny. They want to do this today. They want to make this thing happen today. And the direct quote from one of the people who's running this rescue operation says that he is determined to make the rescue happen on Friday.

So, you know, I want to play a sound bite, it's about 37 seconds long, to give you a better idea of just how weak, hungry these gentlemen are. Let's throw to it. We're going to talk more on the other side. Let's watch what's happening inside the cave.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: If we don't get any food, we're out of strength. If we're still here after another two days, we'll be dead.

UNKNOWN: All right, all right. Let me check how you're doing first so we can figure out how to get you out. I want you all out of here right now. But the passage is flooded. We're trying to pump the water out. The teams outside are working hard to clear it for you.

UNKNOWN: We're weak, and we're really hungry.

UNKNOWN: OK, OK. We'll bring more food in.

UNKNOWN: Please bring rice and some proper food.

UNKNOWN: OK, OK. We'll get it to you as soon as we can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIO: So, I know the credit and the top right hand at the screen says Tuesday it was released. But, you know, from some more reporting, we are not exactly sure when that video was coming from because, you know, there has been a supply of soft food and medical supplies that has been ferried from point A in the beginning of the cave to where those men are, about 260 meters, 853 feet in there.

So, back to the pumping, the whole reason they say that they've made a lot of progress and they're hoping that they can start to bring the five men out today is because they've managed to get this much bigger generator, Benny, from the start of the main road or -- I should say where the main road ends, about two and a half, three kilometers into the middle of this jungle. They've been able to plow a bigger road to get this generator there. And when you have more generating power, you can pump more water out of there.

I thought it was fascinating to note more reporting that we've gotten from our team on the ground and from one of the people who is leading this rescue, the president of the Wild People's Volunteer Association, that you cannot have people in the water when the pumping is happening because of the heavy machinery and the risk of electric shock to the people who may be in the water.

One other thing worth noting before we go is that when they have the green light to start bringing these five men out, they're going to have to do it one by one.

[02:25:01]

And rescuers and the victims here only moving in one direction. This is not a proposition where one person can go or one group of people can go in, and then another group of people can go out. They can only move in one direction because of how cramped the conditions are.

And I should note one more thing. We got an update on the two missing people. The update is that they're still missing. They are still being sought after. Parts of the cave are being remapped. And the other five people, the people who were found on that ledge, they said that the two who are still missing, Benny, they went in before the five. The five people don't know there's two people who are missing. They're not really sure where they went. But the update is that they are still being sought after, and there is confidence from some of the rescuers that they're going to be found.

So, a lot of optimism. We're just waiting for when this operation to extract at least the five individuals begins and, hopefully, it's going to be today.

HUNTE: There is so much going on there. We're going to speak to you again in the next hour and maybe there'll be some more updates for us. For now, Mr. Valerio, thank you so much for that. Speak to you soon.

OK, a court in Austria has sentenced the man behind a foiled terrorist attack on a Taylor Swift concert to 15 years in prison. The court found the 21-year-old guilty of various terrorism-related charges. His full name has been withheld from the public. He was arrested the day before the first of three planned concerts in Vienna, nearly two years ago now. The shows were part of Swift's record-breaking Eras Tour. All three concerts were cancelled, and that's to the dismay of fans and to Taylor Swift herself, who called it devastating.

Police in Switzerland say three people have been injured in a knife attack. It happened at a train station near Zurich on Thursday. Authorities are calling it an act of terrorism. A 31-year-old Swish- Turkish national is in custody, arrested previously for spreading Islamic State propaganda. The three victims are being treated in hospital. Police praised a teacher who stood in front of her students to protect them from the attacker before he was arrested.

A former CIA officer with a top-secret clearance is now under arrest after federal agents say they seized more than $40 million in gold bars from his home. The FBI says David Rush got into the spy agency by repeatedly lying about his military experience and education. It is unclear why the discrepancies weren't caught before. But days before his arrest, agents raided his home in Virginia, finding 300 gold bars, $2 million in cash, and dozens of luxury watches, too. Rush is charged on one count of theft of public money.

All right, still ahead, growing backlash. The U.S. is drawing criticism for its plans for an Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya, which hasn't reported any cases despite an outbreak in the region. Details on that blowback next. See you in a moment.

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[02:32:35]

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back.

The U.S. government will allow American passengers who are exposed to a unique strain of hantavirus to return home as early as Monday. But their home states must post a monitor around the clock outside their homes for the remaining three weeks of their six-week quarantine.

The passengers are in confinement at a facility in Nebraska. They were among 18 Americans on a cruise ship where several people became sick from the strain of hantavirus that is carried by rodents. Two of the sick passengers died before the virus was identified.

The U.S. is now drawing backlash over its plan to send Americans who may have been exposed to the Ebola outbreak in Africa to health facilities in Kenya. A 50-bed quarantine unit is expected to become operational on Friday. For those who do not show any symptoms, Kenyan doctors are warning of the risks of bringing Ebola exposure into a country that hasn't reported any cases as of Thursday.

U.S. CDC officials also disagreed with the Trump administration's course of action, and, in fact, advised against it. The outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is believed to have caused at least 238 deaths and more than 1,000 suspected cases so far. The head of the World Health Organization says the outbreak is now outpacing the response to contain it.

Dr. Krutika Kuppalli is associate professor of medicine and division of infectious diseases and school of public health at University of Texas Southwestern. She's in Palo Alto, California.

Thank you so much for being with me. I appreciate it. I'll get straight into it.

The administration says this Kenya facility will provide state of the art care and get potentially exposed Americans treatment faster than flying them back to the United States. But critics say America already has the facilities and the expertise to handle these cases at home. What's your view?

DR. KRUTIKA KUPPALLI, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN: Yeah. So it's really unclear why they have decided to stand up this facility in Kenya after the 2014 West Africa outbreak, the U.S. invested billions of dollars in facilities here to help care for persons that have what we call high consequence infectious diseases. So, Ebola would be one of those things. So it really is unclear why they are doing this and the ability to

stand something up that has effective biocontainment capacities in a few days seems very unclear.

HUNTE: Well, let's talk a bit more about that, because many experts have questioned whether new Ebola treatment facility can be created quickly while maintaining the highest standards of care and safety. Tell me how challenging it is to build and operate a facility that is capable of treating severe Ebola cases like these?

KUPPALLI: Yes. So it is really complicated. You have to have appropriate infrastructure. You have to have isolation rooms for persons who may have been exposed, or also those who are sick, probably most difficult would be to make sure that you have the appropriate laboratory capacity and also the appropriate waste management capacity.

So, trying to do this in a couple of days really does not seem like a good idea when again, we have the infrastructure here in the United States and have safely repatriated Americans who had Ebola in 2014.

HUNTE: At the same time, Secretary Rubio says the U.S. cannot and will not allow Ebola cases into the country. But critics do note that the U.S. has spent years, like you said, investing in specialized containment units and treatment networks.

What do you make of that debate?

KUPPALLI: Well, so it's interesting to hear Secretary Rubio say that because in 2014, he did say that the U.S. had the ability to care for these patients at home. And so, now, this seems to be a departure from what he said in 2014. That being said, again, I think that -- I understand why they want to protect the United States from Ebola. But if you look back to 2014, every single person that we repatriated from West Africa who had Ebola, they all survived. And no one went on to infect anyone else.

So when you do this in an appropriate, controlled setting, this is a safe thing to do.

HUNTE: Is there an argument, though, that people should be treated closer to the outbreak zones?

KUPPALLI: I definitely don't disagree that if you can provide the same level of care closer to the outbreak zones, then yes, by all means. But this particular situation does not seem to be the case. They have stood up this facility in a matter of days. They are sending U.S. public health service officers over there. It's unclear how much experience these people have in caring for these types of patients.

The press release from HHS said that they had been involved with caring for patients in 2014 in Liberia, but that was 12 years ago.

Here in the United States, our facilities that we have and the persons that work in them are constantly maintaining preparedness so they can take care of these cases. So these are not easy types of patients to care for. They're very complicated from a critical care standpoint and also from, the standpoint of the person taking care of them to maintain the appropriate protections so they don't get sick.

HUNTE: While we do discuss all of this, health authorities continue to savor the risk of Ebola to the American public does remain low. Given that, does this response seem reasonable, considering the threat?

KUPPALLI: So I do agree that the risk -- the risk to the United States is quite low. This outbreak is happening in eastern DRC, which, you know, people there are not traveling to the United States, right? So this is not something that is a high risk to the United States. I personally think that the money that is being used to stand up this facility would be better spent investing into the outbreak response and giving it to the various organizations that are working to contain the outbreak on the ground in DRC.

That would be the best way to try and help protect the United States.

HUNTE: Okay. Well, let's see what happens next. For now, Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

KUPPALLI: Thank you.

HUNTE: A country dealt more than its share of hardship has something to celebrate. Haiti is getting ready for the World Cup. Why this marks more than just a sports victory there. See you in a moment.

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[02:43:55]

HUNTE: Welcome back.

Drones will have to stay away from key venues during the upcoming World Cup events in the U.S. The Federal Aviation Administration is imposing temporary flight restrictions around stadiums and fan events. That does mean that drones and other aircraft cannot get closer than three nautical miles from those venues flying below 3,000 feet is also off limits, unless operators are authorized by air traffic control. Officials say violators can face criminal charges and fines of up to $100,000.

We are now less than two weeks from the start of the World Cup, and excitement is building everywhere, especially in Haiti. The Caribbean minnows will be competing for the first time in more than a half century, facing Brazil, Morocco and Scotland in Group C.

Stefano Pozzebon shows us what this means for the islands that could really use a win.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): This was the moment Haitians held their breath for. Their national team made it to the FIFA World Cup, the first time in more than 50 years. [02:45:02]

It was more than a sports victory. It was a much needed good news for a nation battered by humanitarian crises and national team players like Woodensky Pierre don't take that responsibility lightly.

WOODENSKY PIERRE, HAITI NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM PLAYER (through translator): I always had in mind that playing for the country was a privilege, and I would be able to use my talent to help the country.

POZZEBON (voice-over): Gangs have overrun much of the capital, Port- au-Prince, and parts of Haiti's main agricultural region. In Port-au- Prince, the violence has made it hard to access medical care. Entire families are fleeing. Add to that, a deepening hunger crisis and economic turmoil.

Because of the unrest, Haiti's soccer team cannot even practice at home. But now there is something to look forward to -- a new hope, especially for younger generations.

SAID ZAVI, 12-YEAR-OLD HAITIAN SOCCER PLAYER (through translator): I want to play for the national team. My dream is to win a world cup with the Haitian team, to show others what Haiti is.

POZZEBON (voice-over): It's a dream P hopes is within reach for more and more young Haitian athletes.

PIERRE (through translator): Playing in Haiti and making it up to the national team, this is something to be proud of, to be happy. And there's going to be an opportunity for a lot of other younger talent in the national league to make it to the national team someday.

POZZEBON (voice-over): Haiti's World Cup stint will not solve its problems. But for now, it's given the country something to finally celebrate.

Stefano Pozzebon, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: It was a day of upsets at the men's French Open, after a home favorite for France was knocked out of the competition. It was a victorious day for Italy's Matteo Berrettini after he ousted France's Arthur Rinderknech from the tournament. The match lasted just over two hours, with Berrettini moving on to the next round of the competition.

Meanwhile, on the women's side, top seed Aryna Sabalenka came out on top. That is despite a scare in her first set. The Belarusian is determined to secure the title after losing last year in the final round of the French Open. The four time grand slam champion beat another home favorite for France, Elsa Jacquemot. She next faces off against Australia's Daria Kasatkina.

Artificial intelligence is bringing one of France's greatest playwrights back to life, in a way. Ahead, how scholars are using A.I. to give Moliere's work a new chance to be in the spotlight. See you in a moment.

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[02:50:11]

HUNTE: Restaurants in Italy are not legally required to serve customers plain tap water. That is according to the country's supreme court. It ruled that a five-star hotel broke no laws when it told an insistent patron that they would have to buy water. That's about eight bucks a bottle. The guest sued after hotel staff said they would only serve bottled water during her stay. That was in 2019.

The guest unsuccessfully argued for access to water was a fundamental right. The judges rejected her plea in November, but the ruling has only just hit headlines in Italy.

People all across Western Europe have been sweltering under extremely high temperatures, which set new records in several cities this week. By the weekend, though, things are expected to cool down in parts of France.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar has the forecast for us.

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ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): An early blast of heat is making late May in Europe feel like the dog days of August.

A powerful heat dome which traps hot air over a region like a lid on a pot broiled parts of the continent this week sending temperatures 10 to 15 degrees Celsius higher than what's for this time of year. Tourists tried to make the best of it.

NIMA GHESHLAGHI, GERMAN TOURIST: Theoretically, it should be cooler than this but unfortunately we are seeing this global climate change happening in real life, yeah.

CHINCHAR (voice-over): The high heat is expected to continue in Spain and Portugal through the weekend capping off a week of extremes across the continent.

RUBEN DEL CAMPO, SPANISH WEATHER AGENCY (through translator): In Western Europe, there has been a spell of very high temperatures not only in Spain but also in Portugal, our neighboring country which has also reached 38 to 39 degrees Celsius. In France, temperatures have also exceeded 33 degrees Celsius. In the U.K., a milestone has been reached for the first time since records began, temperatures have hit 35 degrees Celsius somewhere in the British Isles.

CHINCHAR (voice-over): That was on Tuesday when the U.K. had its hottest day ever recorded in May but some areas are still struggling from the effects of the high heat. Bottled water was handed out in emergency stations in Kent, England, because thousands of people were without tap water due to high demand.

But there's a cool down expected in parts of France like Paris which for much of the week was sizzling above 30 degrees Celsius. By Sunday, those temps are finally expected to drop.

But workers in Bordeaux, in southwest France, where temperatures surpassed those in the capital, say it's been brutal to be outside.

HENRI VISSE, FRENCH ROAD WORKER (through translator): It was very difficult. There was the heat from the engines, the heat from the equipment and no air. So, naturally, we made more stops. We took more breaks.

CHINCHAR (voice-over): Summer hasn't even officially begun yet but forecasters say it's an early indication of what's to come.

Spain's weather agency is warning of possible dangers ahead, saying the brush on the ground could quickly dry out, igniting yet another deadly fire season.

Alison Chinchar, CNN.

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HUNTE: Actors Tom Hanks and Tim Allen were among the stars at the premiere for "Toy Story 5" in London. Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the toy gang are back and facing one of their biggest challenges yet, the ultimate battle for playtime. The toys are trying to secure their place in children's lives against the kids' obsession with electronics and smart devices. "Toy Story 5" will be released in theaters worldwide in three weeks time.

France's great playwright, known as Moliere, died in 1673, but now scholars are using artificial intelligence to bring his new work to life on the stage.

CNN's Melissa Bell reports from Versailles, on the bold and very controversial experiment.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The final touches as actors prepare for the premiere of the play the French playwright, Moliere, might have written in 1674 had he lived a few more months.

BELL: It is here in the splendor of the Opera Royal at Versailles that the play will be put on tonight, in this very classical theatre, where Moliere himself came and acted in some of his later plays. 600 people tonight will be able to decide what they think of this newest play in the style of Moliere.

[02:55:04]

BELL (voice-over): For two years, more than a hundred people, scientists, historians and thespians have worked with A.I., training it and correcting it every step of the way.

HUGO CASELLES-DUPRE, MEMBER, OBVIOUS: Our vision is to use A.I. in a way that we could discover new things about Moliere and to make people enjoy Moliere in a different way and to see that we can reconciliate art creation and history study with this new technology.

BELL: And tonight then, the important thing is to see the reaction, I guess, of the 600 people who will come to watch.

PIERRE-MARIE CHAUVIN, VICE PRESIDENT, THE SORBONNE: Yes, that's really the main verdict because we know that all the process, creative process, scientific process was really stimulating for everyone, for researchers, for artists. But we don't know how public -- how the public, how the audience will receive it.

BELL (voice-over): While the Oscars now officially ban AI-written scripts from contention, France's theatre world has no such rule but many remain skeptical.

Like the philosopher Eric Sadin, who says that, "Given how seriously generative A.I. threatens artistic creation, there is a moral duty not only to avoid these systems but to categorically oppose their use."

Those behind this project, though, say that it has been a profoundly human endeavor, simply improved by AI.

Thanks to A.I., the performance is as close to what you might have seen here in the late 17th century; the costumes, the set, brought back in time, even the accents the actors use.

Really remarkable to a modern ear and as for the emotion --

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very moved because I felt that I saw, for the first time, a new play from Moliere, in this very same place where the king was discovering the first play.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's great. We just -- we have been laughing and so on, as if it was a real Moliere.

BELL (voice-over): A little piece of the past brought back to life, thanks to the technology of the future.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Versailles.

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HUNTE: Models and robots strutted down the runway together at a fashion show in Seoul. The event on Thursday was billed as a, quote, "Physical A.I. Fashion Show". The machines and the humans wore coordinated outfits and danced to synchronized choreography. The organizers said the show aimed to present robots not as replacements for humans, but as companions capable of sharing emotion.

And the team -- hopefully you can hear me now. I'm Ben Hunt in Atlanta. I'll be right back with more CNN NEWSROOM. See you in a moment.

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