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Four Cave Explorers Previously Trapped by Flooding Emerge from Cave after 10 Days; Pro and Anti ICE Protestors Clash in New Jersey; Justice Department Launches Criminal Investigation into Former Columnist Who Accused President Trump of Sexual Assault; Texas Democratic Senate Candidate James Talarico Working to Unite Party After Contentious Primary; Israel Continues Operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon; President Trump Reportedly Considering Extending Ceasefire with Iran; United Airlines Flight Diverted after Passenger Makes Multiple Attempts to Breach Plane's Cockpit; U.S. Tennis Star Coco Gauff Eliminated from French Open. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired May 30, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:31]

PAULA REID, CNN ANCHOR: Emerging to freedom, the four remaining men trapped in a flooded cave for 10 days are now out and safe. Hear their unexpected ending to their story and urgent efforts to find two villagers who are still missing. CNN takes you there.

Plus, multiple attempts to breach the cockpit, that's what a United Airlines flight crew says forced them to make a sudden, unscheduled landing after an incident with an unruly passenger.

And backing down. President Trump hit by a string of legal setbacks this week. We'll tell you about the case the president is walking away from.

Hello. Thanks for joining me. I'm Paula Reid in for Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour with the extraordinary rescue of four men trapped for 10 days in a flooded cave in southeast Asia. Today they defied expectations by simply walking out of the cave, coming face to face with a team of divers gearing up to lead them to safety. The search continues, though, for two men still missing after they entered the cave in search of gold.

CNN's senior international correspondent Will Ripley was there as the rescue divers came back down the mountain. Here's what they told him about this morning's mission.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tell us everything about what happened up there. I've got goosebumps.

JOSH RICHARDS, AUSTRALIAN RESCUE DIVER: The short version is they changed over the pumps this morning. So some of the pumps that were running were moved into a better position so they could work more efficiently. We've been kind of been pushing for that for a few days. It finally happened.

Everyone moved out of the cave while it pumped to try and reduce the water. And literally as I'm gearing up, because I was going to be heading in to take food and medicine and all those sort of things, four miners popped out. So they had obviously, the water level had dropped far enough and they'd made their way out on their own. So we didn't end up having to go in.

RIPLEY: Were you, was there any possibility that you guys were expecting this was going to happen? I mean, we were talking about how difficult and dangerous this was going to be even with your assistance to get them out.

MIKKO PAASI, FINNISH RESCUE DIVER: I guess there was like, like we were joking about it that if the pump starts to work and the water level goes down, these guys will rush out without, without any, any hesitation. And that actually happened. Yes. But it was the best outcome because, because the pumping was always the plan A is the safest way where nobody is going to get into a risk. So we're happy that we didn't have to go anymore.

RIPLEY: And the pumps were, you were you were not sure that they were going to work, right? It's been, you guys have been trying to pump for days. They carved this road. You got the generators up there. But the water levels were still staying too high, right?

PAASI: Yes, yes, yes.

RIPLEY: And even as recently as --

PAASI: There were a lot of safety concerns about having pumps at the same time in the water and people running electrocution and that too tight and all that. But it just happened like, like, I think it wasn't that planned.

ROBIN CUESTA, FRENCH RESCUE DIVER: You always worry too much.

RIPLEY: He worries too much?

PAASI: It's my job, mate. It's my job.

RIPLEY: So Rob, what do you think? I mean.

CUESTA: Yes, I think that was the best option. As we talked this morning --

RIPLEY: And Robin, you said yesterday it was a miracle that they got out with assistance. And you just were, I could see in your eyes you weren't sure what was going to happen today.

CUESTA: I was very worried this morning that we had to extract them by diving, because I don't think they would have made it alive. But the pumping was definitely the best solution. And it worked out. And we're lucky because now it start to rain and the cave is going to fill up more.

RIPLEY: And so what this rain means, and what your presence down here means, is that you have decided for the moment to call off the search for the two who are who are still missing. Is that correct?

PAASI: Well, they are they are now planning the search for them as we speak. But it's not diving anymore, so we are --

RIPLEY: Is there any update on their conditions that you can share yet?

PAASI: No, none. Now that the cave can be dried out so they can search the last part, if they consider it safe.

RIPLEY: OK. And because you believe they would have been in a chamber that was even more dangerous to access than the one where you found them?

PAASI: To be honest, what I, personally, what I believe is that they weren't even in that cave. But that's just hypothetical, because we asked from the guys in the chamber, they never saw those two. So we hope that they actually got away, and then they are somewhere else.

RIPLEY: That would be the best possible outcome, wouldn't it, if it's not them?

AUDITA HARSONO, INDONESIAN RESCUE DIVER: Yes, because like we asked the miners when they go out, and then they kind of, what, another two?

RIPLEY: They didn't know.

HARSONO: Only five. like, so it's kind of different area. So maybe it's like different group. So, but the one there is like only five, and then they all go out.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

[14:05:03]

REID: CNN is the only news team on the ground there. And our thanks to Will Ripley for his excellent reporting.

And happening now, tensions are high again today as a group of people supporting ICE are facing off with protesters outside a New Jersey ICE detention facility. The anti-ICE protests have been going on for more than a week now. They started after people inside the facility began a hunger strike over what they say are inhumane conditions like inedible food and overcrowding.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX MINOGUE, REPRESENTS DETAINEES AT DELANEY HALL ICE FACILITY: Right now there, from what I gather and what were hearing from detainees, they're living through absolute torture. One unit, I believe it was unit two, if I'm not mistaken, they were pepper sprayed. They're going long hours without food. When they receive food, they're receiving pieces of stale bread.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: DHS has continued to push back against allegations of inhumane conditions at the Delaney Hall facility.

Now, New Jersey state police and officers from local police departments have now taken over security from ICE officers outside the facility. The change is part of an effort to lower the temperature as these protests continue. CNN's Gloria Pazmino is outside the facility where this is all taking place. Gloria, what are you seeing there on the ground right now?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Paula, you know, that effort to bring the temperature down has really not been very successful, certainly not since last night when we saw state police come in here, including some mounted police and protesters who were also pulling the barricades aside. We saw things significantly escalate last night. If we could show some of those images, protesters and law enforcement really facing off.

Things this morning have been sort of back and forth. There was significant law enforcement activity earlier today with police trying to make space between two dueling groups of protesters. There was a pro ICE demonstration that was staged here this morning. And the protesters who have been here for the past several days continue to be here. So we saw a lot of confrontation between both sides and police trying to keep them apart from each other, trying to essentially divide the street so that people could protest on either side.

That's what the governor of New Jersey said she wanted to do. She wanted people to continue to protest. But she has said that people should do it safely and carefully and peacefully. We have seen, you know, a lot of altercation between the two different groups here today, but certainly not as violent or as chaotic as we are -- as we saw in some of those evening images from last night.

I want to show you some of the things that have changed since the past few days, because we've been out here. And I want to show you first, you have this line of police motorcycles that is now guarding the front of Delaney Hall. You see the armored vehicle there, you see police, the motorcycles. And these orange and metal fencing that you're seeing there, that went up overnight. This is actually the area where protesters were gathering yesterday. So you see, they really put some distance. And then, of course, you see the line of police officers here guarding the facility with protesters on the other side.

There are times when things begin to flare up. There was a group of Proud Boys that was gathered here this morning. That made the temperatures significantly increase here. But they have gone back and forth. They get pushed back. And as you can see, a very a very heavy law enforcement presence here today.

REID: Gloria Pazmino, thank you.

And the NTSB is expected to hold a press conference next hour as officials investigate a deadly bus crash on Interstate 95 in Virginia. Five people were killed, including two children, and more than 40 others were hurt, including the bus driver. Investigators say the crash happened when the bus slammed into several cars around 2:30 in the morning on Friday near Quantico, Virginia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDY, BUS PASSENGER: You have blood, people bleeding, people screaming, the bus smoking. A stranger came, bust the window open and let us all out. I'm thankful for that. We're here. A lot of people lost their lives. Sorry to their loved ones. It's sad. It was a sad occasion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: The five people killed were in the cars, not on the bus. And that bus was traveling from New York to North Carolina when state police say the driver failed to slow down for traffic in a work zone. Charges against the driver are pending.

[14:10:03]

And still ahead, President Trump ordered to respond to claims he committed fraud by creating that $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. What the court is demanding.

Plus, a federal judge hitting pause on President Trump's planned overhaul of the Kennedy Center. The president quickly responding with an unexpected move.

And a United Airlines flight forced to divert after a passenger allegedly tried to breach the cockpit. The major questions investigators are trying to answer.

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[14:15:12]

REID: President Trump was just handed a trio of setbacks in court. On Friday, a judge blocked, for now, Trump's controversial $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund from moving forward. The same day, another judge ordered Trump to respond to accusations that his unprecedented settlement with the IRS, which led to the creation of the anti- weaponization fund, was fraudulent and, quote, "premised on deception."

Hours later, a D.C. district judge ordered Trump's name removed from the historic Kennedy Center, declaring Congress gave the center its name and only Congress can change it. Trump took to social media after the ruling and said he would cease his involvement in the building's renovations and return control to Congress.

Now the Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the former columnist who accused President Trump of sexual assault. Now, multiple sources tell CNN the Justice Department is focused on whether Carroll committed perjury during one of her depositions when she testified that her lawsuits were not funded by outside sources. Her lawyers later told the court that, in fact, a nonprofit tied to billionaire Reid Hoffman had helped cover some of her fees and legal expenses.

Carroll was awarded $5 million in 2023 after a jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation. She was later awarded $83 million in a second defamation case against him.

For more perspective, I'm joined now by former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani. Now, Neama, I want to ask you, this statement that we're talking about with Carroll saying that she didn't receive any outside funding, this was litigated quite a bit before the civil trial. It was litigated again during appeals. Given that this has already been covered so often in the civil context, what does that tell you about whether they will be able to build a criminal case on the same issue?

NEAMA RAHMANI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Paula, it's hard to get a conviction for perjury in a state or federal court. And here we're talking about a statement during a deposition from 2022. And the reason it's hard is that the statement has to be intentionally false. It can't be just a negligent misrepresentation. And it has to be material. That means it has to be important to the case. It's pretty rare for you to see a federal criminal prosecution related to a statement made in a federal civil case.

But obviously, this is no ordinary case. It's involving the president of the United States, the most powerful man in the world. So that's why were seeing the DOJ look into his political enemies.

REID: So the U.S. attorney said in a statement that the northern district of Illinois has not opened and has never opened a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll. Look, I was part of the team that broke this story. I can say we never said that he opened it, but we do know he is currently overseeing this. Our sources reaffirmed to us that this investigation is into E. Jean Carroll. It is in its early stages, but it's active and ongoing. How common is it for cases to be sent to a different office?

RAHMANI: It's not that common. In this particular case, Todd Blanche had to recuse himself as the acting attorney general because he was involved in the litigation involving Jean Carroll. Sometimes what you will see is for a district that may have a more favorable jury pool or potentially more favorable judges to handle an investigation. But it is not common to have this parallel criminal investigation ongoing while the civil appeal is still working its way through the Supreme Court.

The president has a number of arguments on appeal, one of which relates to this litigation funding issue. There's the "Access Hollywood" tape. There's some other women who testified. Of course, he's still claiming presidential immunity. There's the Westfall Act. So there's a lot that's still being litigated in this particular case. And to initiate a criminal prosecution, obviously, we do have that five-year statute of limitations, so I think that's probably why we're starting now, is not common, and it's not common for it to be in another judicial district.

REID: And the president has been very open about his desire to seek retribution against his perceived political enemies. But we've seen lately, with the Justice Department's efforts to pursue that a little grand jury fatigue on some of these cases. Do you think that grand juries can see through political motivation, or do you think these cases are just sort of failing on the facts, or both?

RAHMANI: Well, I think it's both. They're weak on the facts and the law. I mean, it's very rare for a grand jury to return a no bill. I mean, you can count on one hand the number of times that happens in any given year. But we are seeing that more and more, in cases like Letitia James, for instance.

[14:20:01]

Frankly, I was very surprised the DOJ was able to get an indictment from the grand jury on the 8647 case, probably one of the weakest cases ever brought by the DOJ. But you're right, I mean, if this case actually makes it past the grand jury, I would be very surprised if it got passed a motion to dismiss and a trial jury, because there are a lot of defenses here. We talked about some of them -- intent, materiality. But also, there's a pretty strong vindictive prosecution argument here that the president is going after someone who has filed two civil lawsuits and received two civil judgments against him, and that's the only reason the DOJ has initiated this prosecution. I think that type of argument would resonate with any district judge in this country.

REID: Neama Rahmani, thank you.

RAHMANI: Thanks, Paula. Talk soon.

REID: Still ahead, a remarkable ending to the daring rescue mission. Four men freed from a flooded cave after 10 days trapped underground. We'll break down how it all unfolded next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:25:22]

REID: The heat is on in Texas as James Talarico and Ken Paxton battle it out for a seat in the Senate. Democrats are hoping to finally end their decades long losing streak in the lone star state. But even with momentum behind Talarico, CNN reporter Patrick Svitek explains that he's working to court voters after that contentious primary.

PATRICK SVITEK, CNN REPORTER: James Talarico became the democratic nominee for Senate in Texas nearly three months ago, but he is still working to unify his party after a contentious primary against Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. A big part of that is courting the black voters who strongly supported her. Talarico, a state representative, has been meeting with groups of black leaders in major Texas cities. He gave the commencement address at the oldest historically black college in the state, and he has released a plan to address maternal mortality, which disproportionately impacts black women.

After Talarico won the primary, Crockett conceded and called on Democrats to unite behind all their nominees. But the two have yet to campaign together, and Crockett's team told CNN in a statement that Texas Democrats have a, quote, "long road ahead to November." The statement noted that three statewide candidates, including Talarico, are from Austin, and said, quote, "They'll have to do a lot of work outside of central Texas and to resonate with constituencies across our state, which is one of the largest and most diverse in the world."

Talarico told us that he is taking that task seriously and that he takes responsibility for earning the, quote, "trust and support of black voters."

Why is this so important? If Democrats want to have any chance of flipping Texas, they need every vote they can get, especially from their base. The state has not elected a democrat to statewide office since 1994.

Back to you, Paula.

REID: Patrick Svitek, thank you.

And on Tuesday, don't miss key primary races across the country, including the crowded governor contest in California. Get election results all night Tuesday on CNN and the CNN app.

And still ahead, Defense Secretary Hegseth's new warning about returning to combat with Iran as President Trump makes a decision about a potential deal.

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[14:32:24]

REID: Truly a stunning feat of survival this morning, families overcome with emotion after their loved ones defied expectations by walking out of a flooded cave in southeast Asia. The four men had been trapped for 10 days underground, and rescue teams were desperate to get them out against the threat of more flooding rain. But before that mission got underway today, the trapped men decided to try to get themselves out after seeing water levels in the cave drop, and they all emerged safely.

Now for more perspective on this daring operation I want to bring in cave diving expert Charlie Roberson. Charlie, walk us through what these men experienced. Ten days underground, what kind of toll does that take on the human body?

CHARLIE ROBERSON, CAVE DIVING EXPERT: I can't imagine. Well, first, thanks for having me. It's got to be quite the ordeal, 10 days without food or light or, you know, all the comforts that were used to would be, you know, difficult for anybody. and of course, the mental toll that they're worrying about whether they're actually going to get out and survive this. REID: Yes. And obviously the rescuers didn't need to go in, but what

are some of the kind of challenges that they're going to face if they have to go in and get these other villagers back out of the cave?

ROBERSON: So I've actually been in contact with a couple of the guys on the -- performing the rescue. And, apparently one of the reasons that they did not have to go in was they were working tirelessly to put water extraction pumps into the lower portions of the cave. So the flooded section of the cave, the 25 meters that was underwater, they were putting pumps and pumping the water out. So this is one of the reasons that they didn't have to dive these last four through like they did the first one.

As far as the remaining two are concerned, you know, I don't know the cave that well, and in fact, not at all. I've never been there. So I would want to be talking to the guys that did survive, that did come out of the cave. And I would want to find out if they knew the other two's location or if they knew anything more about that. Obviously, they're going to want to look for those guys, and hopefully it'll be a good outcome. Hopefully they will also be in an air bell somewhere.

[14:35:07]

REID: Now, I'm getting a little claustrophobic just watching this footage that we have on the screen right now. When you do a rescue mission like this, how do you how do you keep people from panicking? How do you keep yourself from panicking?

ROBERSON: Well, I think that's the biggest challenge. And that was going to be the biggest challenge if they were going to dive these guys through the flooded sump. These guys are not divers. They're, you know, obviously not cave divers, but they never dived underwater with a regulator before at all. So the fact that they were successful bringing the one guy out. And these, the condition, as you can see, the conditions are absolutely horrible, zero visibility. This would be a challenge for even the most experienced of cave divers, not to mention somebody that's never attempted this and did not have the training or experience.

REID: Yes. And there's what you can see there. There's also what you can't see. There's the monsoon season, the air quality problems. How do you deal with all these variables when you're trying to execute a mission like this?

ROBERSON: It's quite the challenge, I'm sure. And I know they were racing against time with the rains because, from what I understand, there were rains, more rains today, which were just going to worsen the situation, possibly rising water levels. So I think this is why they really put all their efforts towards trying to de-water that sumped out section of the cave and get the water out. It's great that the guys took it upon themselves to see the water was coming down and self-rescue, if you will.

REID: Yes, a rare happy story leading the news today. Charlie Roberson, thank you.

ROBERSON: Thank you.

REID: And new today, despite a ceasefire still in place, Israel is warning that it is preparing for intensifying fighting with Iran backed Hezbollah forces in Lebanon. CNN Jerusalem bureau chief Oren Liebermann has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Israel issued more evacuation warnings for Lebanon on Saturday morning as the conflict between Israel and Iran's proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, very much continues.

On Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces had crossed the Litani River. As he was visiting Israel's northern border, he said they had taken up what he called controlling positions north of the Litani River, that is north of the Israeli occupied zone in southern Lebanon as Israel pushes deeper into Lebanon and carries out wider strikes, not only the strike we saw in Beirut earlier this week, the first we had seen there in weeks, but also attacks on the city of Tyre, Nabatieh, and the Beqaa Valley as Israel tries to dislodge Hezbollah and push them away from the border.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, has kept up a steady barrage of explosive drones and rocket fire targeting Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and in northern Israel.

In the middle of all this, and keep in mind, this is happening during a U.S. brokered ceasefire agreement that is supposed to last for several more weeks, the U.S. hosted at the Pentagon military representatives from both Israel and Lebanon, trying to keep a diplomatic track going after the U.S. had already hosted three meetings between ambassadors from the two countries.

There was no definitive outcome of this meeting and no great progress on the ceasefire. But the Department of Defense's undersecretary for policy put out this statement after the meeting. He said, "We held productive military to military discussions, which will inform the Department of State led political track next week. The United States anticipates reconvening soon to continue the security track." So even if we're not seeing a ceasefire on the ground, the U.S. is still trying to push forward what would be a much broader ceasefire agreement.

But because of everything we're seeing on the ground today and no signs of deescalation between Israel and Hezbollah, it's very difficult still to see a path forward for that diplomatic track.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

REID: Oren Liebermann, thank you.

And right now, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the U.S. is ready to resume its military attacks on Iran if need be. President Trump is weighing the terms of a tentative ceasefire deal with Iran after meeting with his advisors on Friday. Speaking to reporters on his trip to Asia, Hegseth struck a positive tone on the talks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, WAR SECRETARY: They're coming in our direction. The talks have been productive. I think they know where it needs to go. And I'm quite confident with this, with our president, who makes nothing but great deals, that ultimately it will be something he's proud to defend, that ensures that Iran, which everyone knows should not have a nuclear weapon, never does.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:40:00]

REID: With us now is Aaron David Miller. He's a former State Department Middle East negotiator and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Now, as we wait to hear President Trump's reply to this tentative deal, I want to ask you, Aaron, what do you think he's waiting for?

AARON DAVID MILLER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: I'm not sure it's up to the president only, Paula. And thanks for having me. Look, none of this should surprise us. U.S.-Iranian negotiations have two speeds, slow and slower. There's profound mistrust on either side. You're talking about a one or two page document, which is essentially a ticket, buy a ticket to have a negotiation on all the core issues, and you're going to get pushback. You're already seeing pushback from Iranian harder line elements that the than the ones were negotiating, believe it or not.

And Trump's getting an enormous amount of blowback that basically he's punted on the nuclear issue. And what he's going to have to show for the first several weeks, if this agreement is signed, and I'll take a flier here, I think it is, is going to be reopening the straits, which were open the day before the war started.

So I think the combination of no trust, no confidence, and negotiator pangs of buyer's remorse, insecurity about whether the deal is the right one, are we going to get hammered in Tehran and in Washington if we go forward with it, all of this is combining to slow things down.

REID: Well, with U.S. oil supply is dwindling, the price of oil remaining high, the U.S. unable to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on its own, how much leverage do you think Iran holds in these negotiations?

MILLER: Quite a bit, in part for one fundamental reason. And the Iranian military can't go toe to toe, head to head with the U.S. military or even the Israelis. But the Iranians have two cards, which we don't. One is, for the guys who are running this regime brutal, repressive, authoritarian regime, this is an existential struggle. This is a matter of preserving their power. And they are going to be reluctant to compromise on their core requirements.

For Trump, and frankly, I'm an American citizen. I'm a voter. Yes. Id like to see Iran without a weapon. But is this an existential question for me or for the vast majority of the American public? The answer is no. That's one advantage.

Second, did anybody show the president and the secretary of defense a map? The Iranians have weaponized geography. They've done something that most intelligence assessments that I saw when I was at State said they wouldn't. People believe the Iranians would not close the straits because it would be economic suicide. And if they did, we would always have the option of opening them. Both of those judgments proved to be dead wrong. So these two advantages give Iran, I think, an edge. We'll wait and see what these negotiations produce, but they're going to be very, very difficult.

REID: So, of course, it took the better part of two years to hammer out the previous nuclear agreement, the JCPOA. Should that give us some idea of how long this could ultimately take to resolve?

MILLER: It's a really good point, and I've made it repeatedly. You can't do this through intermediaries. You can't do this on a cell phone. You can't do it, with all due respect to Mr. Witkoff and Kushner, on the back of a cocktail napkin. You need negotiations with technical teams. Key to this, Paula, is going to bring in the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor, to verify, snap inspections, to ensure that the Iranians are signing up to and keeping whatever commitments they -- no. So we're talking -- we're not talking about weeks of negotiation here, unless the president is looking for a short deal. Open the straits, remove the blockade, and, frankly, punt the rest.

REID: Now, we just heard a moment ago that fighting between Israel and Hezbollah appears to be intensifying once again. Does Israel have to get on board with any potential agreement between the U.S. and Iran?

MILLER: If there's a chance of a deal, and the president believes it one he can live with, and the Iranians say to American negotiators, we need a comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon, the Israelis have to cease their offensive military operations, and we'll make sure Hezbollah does. If that's the deal that Trump has offered, the key to getting out of this, he's going to call Netanyahu, and he's going to say, listen, you're going to stop your offensive operations in Lebanon, assuming Hezbollah doesn't fire on you.

And Trump has enormous leverage, Paul, because the key fact of Benjamin Netanyahu life this year is not the West Bank, not Lebanon, not Iran. It is elections. And in September, October, maybe, he needs Donald Trump as an active campaigner, literally setting up a reelect Benjamin Netanyahu office in Washington, because if he doesn't have Trump's support, who is more popular in Israel than he is, his vulnerabilities are going to increase exponentially.

[14:45:04]

REID: Aaron David Miller, thank you.

MILLER: Thanks for having me. REID: And coming up, an investigation is underway after a United

Airlines passenger allegedly tried to breach the cockpit multiple times. What passengers are saying about the tense moments on board.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:45:00]

REID: New today, a frightening incident caused a Minneapolis bound flight to be diverted to Wisconsin. That's after what the flight's crew described as multiple attempts to breach the cockpit by one of the passengers. Authorities say the flight, traveling from Chicago to Minneapolis, landed in Madison, Wisconsin, where the man was taken into custody.

CNN's Rafael Romo joins me now. Rafael, what else can you tell us about this incident?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Hi, Paula. Well, we have very little information about the passenger's identity or what his motive might have been, but signs of possible trouble emerged before the plane was in the air. Mike Rundle (ph), a passenger on the same United Airlines flight 2005 from Chicago to Minneapolis, told CNN that the man who was later detained had stood up during the taxiing at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago and was asked repeatedly to sit down while crew members asked whether anyone on board could speak Russian. He said the man eventually sat down and the flight took off.

Later, while the aircraft was airborne, Rundle (ph) said a fellow passenger saw the man at the front of the plane near the cockpit, appearing to reach for a flight attendant, which prompted multiple men to intervene to restrain him. After the commotion, the passenger said the plane was diverted to Madison, Wisconsin, where law enforcement boarded the plane and put the men in handcuffs before taking him out of the aircraft.

This passenger provided photo shows the moment law enforcement get on the plane. We need to clarify, Paula, that the man in the blue shirt is not the suspect, but someone who helped interpret during the incident according to Rundle (ph). The FBI confirmed that a subject was detained by the Dane County Sheriff's Office and afterwards, passengers resumed their flight. ATC audio reviewed by CNN captured the moment the flight crew notified a ground controller about the incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And is this individual detained or what's his status?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had a five law enforcement Leos on board. They have, I do not believe they ever cuffed him, but they were able to finally get control of him after multiple attempts to try to breach the cockpit. I believe at this point he is seated in a seat and flanked by law enforcement officers on either side. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Paula, the Federal Aviation Administration told CNN in a statement that airlines have reported more than 640 unruly passenger incidents so far this year. The FAA investigates all passenger disturbance incidents, this statement says, and pursues legal enforcement action against any passenger who assaults, threatens, intimidates, or interferes with airline crew members and can propose civil penalties up to $43,658 per violation. United Airlines said the plane, a Boeing 737 carrying 147 passengers and six crew members, landed safely and no injuries were reported. Paula?

REID: Rafael Romo, thank you for that, and I'm glad you clarified about the guy in the blue shirt. I was personally confused about that on social media, so thank you for that, that helpful report.

And coming up, an all new next hour, health officials ramping up their response to the Ebola outbreak as the virus rages across central Africa.

And later, A.I. powered scams on the rise costing Americans nearly $900 million last year alone. How a voice cloning hoax could target your family and what you need to know to keep them safe.

And from the Paralympics to politics, the four time Para-Olympian looking to flip a key Iowa Senate seat for Democrats.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is how I won all my state house races. So I've got a lot of experience stair climbing.

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REID: Another day, another massive upset at the French Open. Reigning champ Coco Gauff lost in the third round. CNN World Sport anchor and correspondent Patrick Snell joins us now with more. Patrick, it's been a French Open to remember.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi, Paula. Yes, that's saying something. The shocks keep on coming at Roland Garros after seeing Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic crashing out on the men's side.

Now a moment to forget for Coco Gauff, the biggest upset on the women's side of the of the draw. Defending champion golf eliminated on Saturday by 28th seeded Anastasia Potapova from Austria in the third round. Gauff actually took the first set, and at that point it looked like it would be plain sailing for the American star. But Potapova, to her full credit, hitting back in style to win the next set in a tiebreak before keeping her nerve to take the decider. What a moment for the Austrian player. That's Coco's worst performance in France since her debut in 2020, and certainly much for her to reflect upon now.

All right, a team from Canada has not won ice hockey Stanley Cup since the Canadians back in 1993. That drought now lives on another year because Montreal was their last hope. Carolina fans were super pumped last night as they were trying to get back to the finals for the first time since 2006, which was the only time they've ever won. And it was a party all night. The Hurricanes scoring three times in the first period. They would go on to win to take the series in five. The Hurricanes have been just dominant this postseason. They are now 12 and one. Carolina now facing Las Vegas in the final. Game one is Tuesday in Raleigh.

All right, tonight we're in for quite the treat in the NBA. A mouthwatering game seven of the Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and the Thunder in Oklahoma City. Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio winning game --