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Trump Sent Back Iran Deal Text With Changes; Benjamin Netanyahu Orders Israeli Forces Deeper Into Lebanon; Interview With Representative Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY); White House Races To Undo FEMA Damage Before Hurricane Season; Paralympian Aims To Win Democratic Senate Primary In Iowa; A.I. "Voice Cloning" Scams On The Rise. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired May 31, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:01]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: Julia, what do we know about the changes the president has proposed?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you mentioned, officials have told our team that President Donald Trump sent that changes to this proposed deal of Iran. And this comes after he held a high level meeting in the situation room on Friday with top advisers, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco rubio.

Prior to that meeting, Trump said that he was going to use it to make a final determination on a tentative agreement with Iran, but we have yet to receive a formal update from him on that. Officials, though, have told our team that he is asking for tougher language regarding Iran's nuclear commitments and their pledge to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. allies in the Gulf have been briefed on discussions, and one foreign official familiar with the matter tells CNN that the changes really centered around the U.S. desire for assurances on those issues.

Sources have told our team throughout this process that the memorandum of understanding, which is under consideration, would likely extend the negotiation period for 60 days on some of those top issues, including Iran's nuclear program, which includes the fate of the stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

When I reached out to a White House official today about where things stand, they reiterated the points we've been hearing from Trump throughout this, that he is only going to make a deal if he believes it is a great deal, and it addresses his red lines, adding, quote, "Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon."

And it was just last week that we heard from Trump that a deal with Iran had been largely negotiated. He said that on Saturday and then turned around on Sunday to say that he wasn't in any rush to make a deal.

We do have a lead here at the White House today, Jessica, which means we do not expect to see Trump out and about, taking questions from reporters. But that doesn't mean he can't make news. A lot of the big developments during this conflict, including surrounding those first joint U.S.-Israel strikes of this conflict, have come via his social media platform.

DEAN: That's right. All right. Julia Benbrook at the White House. Thank you so much for that.

Meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered troops deeper into neighboring Lebanon.

CNN's Oren Liebermann has more on Israel's latest strategy including capturing a crusader era castle in southern Lebanon -- Oren.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: As Israel pushes farther and deeper into Lebanon, the Israeli military has seized a historic crusader castle. The 900-year-old Beaufort Castle sits on a ridge north of the Israeli occupied zone. But over the course of the past several days and more, Israeli forces have been pushing north out of that zone, seizing more territory in southern Lebanon, and that now includes the ridge on which the Beaufort Castle stands.

Israeli forces raised not only the Israeli flag but also the Golani Brigade flag. That is a brigade within the Israeli military that seized the castle itself. And this whole operation was accompanied, according to the Israeli military, by a wave of airstrikes and bombardment of the area. We have seen over the course of the past several days the Israeli military strike the Lebanese cities of Tyre and Nabatiyeh.

Those are outside of the Israeli military's occupied zone in southern Lebanon, as well as the Bekaa Valley, which is well outside of southern Lebanon. Beaufort Castle itself sits about nine miles or 14 to 15 kilometers from the border between Israel and Lebanon. So you see there that that seizure of territory as Israeli forces move north, the goal there is to try to push Hezbollah farther away from northern Israel. Israeli military says Hezbollah had used that ridge on which the fortress sits to fire onto Israel.

Meanwhile, over the course of the weekend, we have seen an increase in Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks into southern Lebanon and Israeli troops there, as well as into northern Israel. So you see very much an escalation between Israel and Hezbollah during what's supposed to be a U.S. brokered extension of the ceasefire. In fact, the Israeli home front command announced that schools in northern Israel that are close to the fighting would be closed on Sunday and Monday, as well as one of the hospitals in northern Israel moved to its secure underground complex.

Despite all of this, despite a ceasefire that's almost impossible to see, there is an expectation that another round of direct Israel- Lebanon talks between ambassadors will be held in the coming days.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE) DEAN: Oren, thank you for that reporting.

And we are joined now by Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis of New York. She serves on the House Ways and Means Committee. She's also assistant whip for the House Republican Conference.

Congresswoman, thanks for your time. It's good to see you on a Sunday. I just want to start there with Iran, and if you would be comfortable and you would support ending the war right now, as it stands.

REP. NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS (R-NY): Well, I think right now is a critical moment.

[18:05:01]

We have to give this president a little bit more time here to see if he can get a deal. I think the American people understand why we're doing this. We're doing this to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon. We're doing this because Iran has been funding these terrorist organizations that have killed many people. They have tortured their own people, and they understand the grave risk for the United States and our allies if Iran is allowed to continue to proceed enriching uranium and development of a nuclear weapon.

And so -- but I think, I think Americans' patience are running thin. I think that they want to see a deal made, but I think it needs to be the right deal. And it's critically important that we give him this space at this moment when they are so close to a deal to negotiate as best as he can. I think any move right now by Congress will only undermine this administration at this critical point as they're negotiating a peace deal that we hope is going to bring long lasting peace that will finally rid this nuclear program from Iran and turn over this enriched uranium.

Previous administrations, they've done very poor, flawed deal. And that's why we're in the situation where we're in right now.

DEAN: And yet all of our reporting right now indicates that even if they can get a deal right now, that the negotiations over the nuclear program would not be a part of that deal, that that would be -- the can would be proverbially kicked down the road as they try to negotiate that. So how confident are you, though, that they can get a better deal than what was in place when that's not even likely to be part of this initial agreement?

MALLIOTAKIS: Well, the thing is, we really don't know what is part of the deal just yet. We're hearing soundbites. We're hearing points. We're not hearing what's actually part of this deal. And so I think we really need more information to make an assessment. But, you know, there has been an extension to the ceasefire.

I think that if we can get a solid start and we can see that there's real progress being made and that they're getting closer on the other pieces, there may be a carrot and stick approach that the administration is going to be using here, that the Iranians have to fulfill, some of the earlier points made in this -- in the initial deal to then be rewarded with some type of sanctions relief or some type of economic relief in exchange for turning over enriched uranium.

We just don't know at this point. I think it's not fair for people to be judging from the sidelines without having all the information. All I can say is, I think when you do have people judging from the sidelines, particularly members of Congress, I think what you're doing is actually undermining the administration at this critical point when the negotiations are so fragile.

DEAN: Yes. So you don't think Congress has any role right now in terms of authorizing his war powers or signing off on anything the president is doing?

MALLIOTAKIS: Well, right now there is a ceasefire. So I think that, again, as long as the ceasefire is in place, I think we should be giving him the time to negotiate, he said it's been imminent that this deal is coming. It's now a week later. So I think we just need to monitor it. We need to see what's going on. Yes, we need to absolutely be asking questions.

We should be continuing our oversight, our congressional hearings. But I think we do need to give him the leeway to negotiate a deal that will be in the best interest of the United States, of our ally, of the Middle East region. Stop the funding of these terrorist organizations and certainly stop the ability of Iran to get a nuclear deal.

I mean, there's been significant -- look at the destruction that has been done to the Iranian regime, to its industrial base. I mean, there's been a lot of good things that have happened and come out of this, but we really need to seal the deal and let's see what is in it. And hopefully it's going to be better than what we -- again, what we've seen 40 years of previous administrations they have not been able, I think, to get as far as President Trump has.

And I'm hopeful that we're going to see a new deal. We should just give it a little more time. But look, everyone wants to see this come to an end as quickly as possible.

DEAN: You mentioned Americans' patience. This war itself, poll after poll shows that Americans don't support it. They're also deeply concerned about rising gas prices. I know you've been home in your district, and you're definitely probably talking to voters there, talking to constituents. Gas prices are at, you know, highs we haven't seen in years. So how long do you -- are you telling people they need to hang on?

MALLIOTAKIS: Actually, gas prices were higher under the Biden administration. We had five months of high gas prices when Russia and Ukraine --

(CROSSTALK)

DEAN: But we've seen them -- my point is we have seen them going up over and over again.

MALLIOTAKIS: I understand that. I don't say --

DEAN: I mean, I think --

MALLIOTAKIS: Yes, I know but --

DEAN: I think people are really concerned about this. And they haven't been this high in a year.

MALLIOTAKIS: Yes. They haven't been this high since president Joe Biden was there.

[18:10:01]

Remember, it was roughly $5 for months under President Joe Biden. I'm not saying that that's an excuse. What I'm saying is --

DEAN: I guess my point is they've gone up under President Trump in this war. And that is a fact.

MALLIOTAKIS: They -- yes. And what I think the thing is, is that President Trump actually brought him down to $3. And people were enjoying that. They were enjoying the cheap gas.

DEAN: Right. Yes, it was a great selling point for them.

MALLIOTAKIS: Well, with American production now with Venezuela, once that strait is open, I think that you're going to see gas prices plummet down, and yes, and look, I think Americans understand to an extent why this is happening, why we're trying to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon. But at the end of the day, they're also concerned about what's immediately in front of them.

And what they're seeing are high gas prices at the pump. I filled up my car myself today. Look, the prices are high. They are lower than when Joe Biden was there and the Russian-Ukraine war had broken out. It was five months of high gas prices. That's not an excuse, but that's just, you know, a reality when there's these types of conflicts, the gas prices temporarily go up.

I think President Trump has the ability to bring them back down to roughly $3, just like he did when he once took office. But again, people's patience are wearing thin. And obviously, we all hope that that's going to happen as soon as possible.

DEAN: Yes. I also want to ask you, we heard from former vice president Mike Pence this morning on this $1.8 billion, what the president calls an Anti-Weaponization Fund. I just want to play what he said. I want to get your thoughts on the other side of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: It's deeply offensive to me that you could have a fund that could even possibly compensate people who assaulted police officers or vandalized the Capitol on January 6th. And I think that's broadly held by most Republicans and most Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP) DEAN: Congresswoman, do you agree with him or do you not support or do you support giving funds to anyone who assaulted police officers on January 6th?

MALLIOTAKIS: I do not support any type of funds going to individuals who played a role in the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6th. And I do agree with the vice president's statement there.

I think there's a lot of questions about this fund. I mean, we -- you know, we haven't been talked to by the White House about what exactly they're planning to do with this fund. I mean, but there have been people who have had government weaponized against them. I mean, we've highlighted in the past, right, members of the school board or, you know, Catholic organizations or individuals.

There are -- there's maybe a valid reason with certain parameters in a very small fund that could be utilized to compensate people who have had their livelihoods destroyed, their reputations destroyed. But I really need more information as a member of Congress before I can support something like that. And so far, I have more questions than answers on that topic. I look forward to learning more about exactly what this fund is going to entail.

DEAN: Yes. So it sounds like you would want to be able to have some oversight over anything like that.

MALLIOTAKIS: Yes. I mean, I think it's basic questions that members of Congress have about what this fund would be used for. And right now, it's not something that I can support with the information that I've been provided so far.

DEAN: All right. Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, we really do thank you for your time. Thanks.

MALLIOTAKIS: Thank you.

DEAN: Still ahead, I'm going to talk to the former secretary of the Air Force, Frank Kendall, about this proposed deal with Iran and the changes that the president is asking for. Plus, new CNN reporting about the chaos inside the Federal Emergency Management Agency coming at a critical time with hurricane season starting tomorrow.

Plus a gold medal winning Paralympian is going door to door hoping that that sends him to the Senate. We're going to -- how he's trying to turn his physical disability into his political strength. You'll hear more from him.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:18:36]

DEAN: We have exclusive CNN reporting tonight as the White House is in cleanup mode, working to undo what former secretary Kristi Noem dismantled at FEMA, that with the Atlantic hurricane season starting tomorrow. Among the chaos, over $15 billion in approved unspent disaster money just waiting for Noem's signature. Multiple sources also saying the agency is suffering from massive staffing and budget cuts. And now officials are scrambling to cut through the red tape.

Former FEMA administrator Craig Fugate is joining us now.

Craig, thanks so much for being here with us. Well, how would you assess the state of FEMA right now as we prepare for this hurricane season?

CRAIG FUGATE, FORMER FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: I think the term scrambling is a good one. There's good people at FEMA. But they were so hamstrung, not allowed to hire people, not even able to renew contracts that are basic. And while the focus is on hurricane season, I think I was more concerned an earthquake doesn't have a season. Yes. And so the team there is doing what they can to get ready.

I have a lot of confidence in Bob Fenton, the acting administrator. I've known Bob for a long time. There are good people there, but they've lost a lot of people. They've had contracts that were delayed that are essential for preparedness. They haven't been able to move the money. That's starting -- I really see them getting back to what I call regular order of doing their jobs and being able to get things done. I think the new secretary is empowering FEMA to do their jobs, but it's going to take some time.

[18:20:06]

DEAN: Yes, I mean, that was my other question to you is just like, how long might it take for them to get back to that regular order?

FUGATE: Well, I'm seeing it in money moving. I'm seeing it through what I would see normal process. They're back to hiring people where they, you know, previously had hiring freezes, but that's going to take time. And so what's going to happen is if there's -- and it's not, are they going to get ready in a certain time frame before the next disaster, and every disaster has come as you are.

So they're going to have to take what they've got. And that may mean pulling resources from all over FEMA just to get a response going where previously through the 10 regions, we could support two catastrophic disasters and a lot of smaller disasters simultaneously. That's, I think, something that would be a stretch for FEMA right now. I think it would be all hands-on-deck just to respond to one major disaster.

DEAN: Yes. And I was curious about that, too, in terms of where you think the effect would most be seen at this moment in time. Is it about getting money, moving to people who are affected, who need it? Is it about setting up immediate response when a disaster comes? How would you describe that?

FUGATE: Knowing FEMA, knowing the staff that are there -- you know, there's a lot of challenges, but I think there's -- you know, they'll pull together to support the states. And I think this is the first thing we got to make sure everybody understands. FEMA is not the first responder. They're in support of the states.

DEAN: Right.

FUGATE: But the capabilities they bring with their urban search and rescue teams, with the communication units and logistical backup to the states, is critical. I think that mission can be executed. I'm more concerned about what you describe, helping individuals and families, and those systems that are again, you know, something that requires a lot of staffing requires, call centers requires people with experience to operate those systems.

And then the immediate recovery where, again, I think what will happen is FEMA will have to pull staff from disasters that are ongoing to deal with the new disasters. That happened in the Obama administration. But I think right now it's going to be -- the priority will have to be, they're going to have to focus on life-saving and life-sustaining operations in support of the states. The longer term recovery may suffer just because it's going to take more people to deal with that initial response.

DEAN: Right. And so as you know, and I think this is important to remind people, FEMA is not the first responders. The people that -- the firefighters and the police, you know, the police officers, the local county officials, the first immediate response exists with them. But FEMA obviously can help release funds before, if there's a disaster that's coming, that they can kind of try to set up for.

And then to your point, earthquakes don't always -- don't really ever give us a, you know, a headline that they are on their way. So there are oftentimes many surprise disasters as well that FEMA then needs to, what you're talking about help people, especially in a lot of rural areas where maybe FEMA is the only lifeline kind of start to put the pieces back together. We were just showing video of what happened in North Carolina, the flooding there comes to mind.

Just what a huge undertaking that is to get that -- to get people set up and make sure they have what they need after the fact as well. How do you think that will be impacted, that kind of after-the-fact help that people need?

FUGATE: I think, again, it's going to depend upon how many disasters are occurring and how big the disaster are. I think smaller disasters, they'll be fine. I'm not sure at what point it starts to, you know, come -- you know, it's going to get more difficult. And the other thing is the states that are better prepared, that have more experience with disasters, where states have invested will do much better because FEMA supports those states.

States that haven't had a lot of history, states that don't fund their state emergency management, that are more dependent upon FEMA, that's going to be a real critical area to look at.

DEAN: That's a good point. All right. And just lastly, before I let you go, in terms of the long term impact of these cuts and what has taken place, how much of a long term impact do you think we're looking at after all of these changes? FUGATE: Well, you know, I don't think measuring money and measuring

people is a good indicator of FEMA's ability to perform. And so I think it really comes back to, do we have the right people and power to make the decisions with the tools they have? That's the real issue. Just a head count or dollar figure doesn't really tell you if that's something they can execute.

DEAN: All right. Craig Fugate, good to have you here. Thank you so much.

FUGATE: Thanks for having me.

DEAN: Democrats are hoping for a revival in a state Obama won twice, but Trump has now won three times. We're going to take you there.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:29:19]

DEAN: Democrats have high hopes for Iowa this campaign season. They have set their sights on the races for governor and Senate there. And recent special elections in Iowa have seen shifts toward Democrats. Many farmers in the state are struggling, hit hard by Trump's tariffs and now soaring fertilizer costs caused by the war with Iran.

Tuesday's primary elections kick off a sprint to November, with three competitive House races and a Senate race that will help decide control of each chamber in Congress.

Democrat Zach Wahls, who is in a primary battle for that Iowa seat in the U.S. Senate, joined Manu Raju on "INSIDE POLITICS" this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZACH WAHLS (D), IOWA SENATE CANDIDATE: Donald Trump's approval rating in our state is collapsing because his policies that Ashley Hinson has been a rubber stamp for doing -- and doing just devastating damage to our state's economy, whether it's the tariffs, the cuts to Medicaid, or so much more.

[18:30:09]

Of course, now this war with Iran. Iowans here are fed up. They're ready for a new direction. That is a message that is resonating with people as we travel all over the state because Iowans trust that I'm not running to work for Chuck Schumer or Donald Trump. I'm running to do what I think is right for Iowans. That's what Iowans are looking for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Wahls is facing a tough primary challenge to win the Democratic nomination for that Senate seat from Josh Turek, and Turek, a gold medal winning Paralympian, is going door to door to try to achieve victory there.

CNN's chief national affairs correspondent Jeff Zeleny tagged along.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH TUREK (D), IOWA SENATE CANDIDATE: This is how I won all my statehouse races so I've got a lot of experience on stair climbing. There's nothing, nothing like face-to-face interaction, and especially, I mean, like you've got a guy in a wheelchair that crawls up the stairs to get your vote, it means a lot.

I was born with a condition called spina bifida. I had 21 surgeries before I was 12. So also in a very deeply personal way, I understand the importance of affordable and accessible healthcare.

What are the issues you care the most about?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a long list of, you know.

TUREK: Right. Grievances?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That aren't going to plan, you know.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: So most U.S. Senate candidates don't go door-to-door like this, knocking on every door. But in Turek's first race, he won it by only six votes. That's why he believes every single vote here counts.

TUREK: I'll give you a hug.

THERESA WEEKS, IOWA VOTER: I love you so much. I was just watching your commercial today.

TUREK: Oh, excellent.

WEEKS: Saying what a wonderful person you are.

TUREK: It's feeling good. Iowans are ready for change.

WEEKS: I get emotional, I really do. You know? I mean, it's just, it's our life.

ZELENY: You remember when Iowa was not that uncommon for a Democrat to win, obviously. Harkin Obama won it twice here.

WEEKS: Absolutely. That's right.

ZELENY: But President Trump won the last three times. Has the state changed do you think or is this year going to kind of determine that?

WEEKS: I'm hopeful that there is this quiet sentiment of change that will erupt and that we will see that change come to fruition. I don't know. I'm on a tightrope. I'm on pins and needles as to what our future holds.

ZELENY: Josh Turek is in a competitive Democratic primary. He's noted that he's seen his signs here on the streets. He's not seen any for his opponent, Zach Wahls. But the primary on June 2nd, of course, is going to determine which Democrat runs. And Iowa is going to be one of the most competitive Senate races in the country, certainly among them.

Could this race determine the Senate majority?

TUREK: Good morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice to see you.

TUREK: Good to see you. This isn't like a gun show. I -- this is legitimately my day. My goal in my life was always just to try to represent my country in a Paralympic Game and to win a gold medal. And I was able to represent in four Paralympic Games and won back-to-back gold medals. You know, not everyone can win the genetic lottery. Certainly I didn't. And -- but I played the hand I was dealt the best that I could.

ZELENY: It's cool to be a jock, but, I mean, you know, do you want that person to be yourself?

TUREK: That wasn't the hard part. The harder part was there's a stigma associated with individuals with disabilities, that if there's -- if you have a physical disability, I think that there's an automatic assumption that there is some level of intellectual disability as well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got a busy weekend, I imagine.

TUREK: I do. I do indeed. We're getting to the finish line. Did you vote yet?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nope.

TUREK: OK, keep me in mind.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

TUREK: I appreciate it.

Trump's first midterm, we win three of the four congressional races, and I think that there is -- in traveling the state that there's much more energy now than even then than you've got open Senate race, open governor's race. I say, I really do believe, not hyperbole, that Iowa is --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking in foreign language)

TUREK: Gracias.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking in foreign language)

ZELENY: So do you think this opportunity is presenting itself a bit more for Democrats because of the president's policies? TUREK: Certainly the president's policies that they've had on Iowans,

yes. The Medicaid cuts have really hurt us, especially in older states, a state with a growing cancer rate. The tariffs have absolutely decimated rural communities. It's not -- and it's not just the tariffs. The word that I hear the most when I'm in rural communities with farmers is betrayal. For sure, bar none. And that is we've supported Trump, we've supported the Republicans.

ZELENY: Yes. But at the same time, you all know tribal politics is such that some people will vote Republican anyway.

TUREK: For sure. But we don't have to win this 100 to zero. But in a state like Iowa, where you've got 35 percent, 37 percent of the voting bloc that are going to be independents, they're the kingmakers in the process.

[18:35:02]

ZELENY: In the fall, if you win this primary, obviously, you know what's coming for you, or maybe you don't. But I mean, a lot is coming for you.

TUREK: Oh, I know what's -- I know what's coming. I've already gone through this process.

ZELENY: And you know the Democratic brand is not so hot.

TUREK: Yes. I -- which is why I am out there calling myself a commonsense prairie populist. And I think that that's the way forward.

Thank you for coming. Sir, thanks for coming. Josh. Nice to meet you.

The amazing opportunity that people would have thought would have been blasphemous to talk about a year ago is to flip the U.S. Senate. We need four seats. But we know what those four seats are. We've got a road map. North Carolina, Maine, Ohio. Seat number 51. It's right here. It's Iowa. And this isn't pie in the sky.

So we got to walk all the way down into this doldrum. Don't be scared.

(SINGING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wheeling and dealing on behalf of everyone. If it's Turek, that's terrific.

ZELENY: Have you ever written a song for a candidate before?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, that's brand new for me.

(SINGING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tough times need good guys to overcome obstacles and see all sides.

The ring of "just Turek" and terrific. It was really that that spawned a lot of it, as well as just getting to know Josh's story and thinking, you know, what an inspiring character here.

ZELENY: Have you heard there's a song?

TUREK: I do know there is a -- yes. And honestly, I think if you've got people organically making songs about you as a candidate, that's a --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's brewing.

TUREK: There's something brewing. Yes, we got a little momentum there.

ZELENY (voice-over): Jeff Zeleny, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Jeff Zeleny, thanks so much for that reporting.

New satellite images show how Iran is gaining access to the underground missile sites targeted by U.S. and Israeli strikes. We're going to talk more about that and more with former secretary of the Air Force, Frank Kendall. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:41:30]

DEAN: Tonight, a U.S. official telling CNN more military strikes against Iran are unlikely, with a deal being close. Sources say President Trump is seeking changes to the text of a potential deal, insisting on tougher language on Iran's nuclear commitments and plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

We are joined now by former secretary of the Air Force, Frank Kendall. He's the author of "Lethal Autonomy: The Future of Warfare Whether You Like It or Not." It's out in July. He's also a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.

Secretary Kendall, thank you for joining us. We really appreciate your time this evening. We don't know the exact changes that have been requested, but when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, how critical is specific language in all of this and what are you looking for? How do you ensure Iran follows through in all of this?

FRANK KENDALL, FORMER SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE: Well, I think, Jessica, the first thing is to be clear that we call this a deal. It's really an extension of the ceasefire. It buys another 60 days during which the straits would presumably be opened to do more detailed negotiations on the nuclear program that Iran has, which is really the reason I think that we're here in the first place. At least that's the administration's assertion.

So it's not a deal. It's not a final deal that's going to, you know, solve this problem indefinitely. It just buys us another 60 days during which the straits would open. We don't have any idea what language the president is asking for that's stronger than the language that was proposed. Among the things that he's concerned about, I think, are any releases of funds to the Iranians. He severely criticized what was done by the Obama administration in that regard.

So we really don't know enough right now. But if it does get the straits open, that's certainly a good thing. Let's hope that that does happen.

DEAN: Yes. Who would be responsible in your mind for clearing the strait of mines? How complicated also is that process?

KENDALL: Well, to be clear, the situation there is a little bit complicated and confusing to people. The normal shipping lanes are believed to be mined and they're not being used. There are two other lanes that are further north, closer to the shore of Iran, and they are being used, and they don't seem to be mined. So some ships are getting through in those lanes.

The major normal lanes that are used, it will probably take a period of months, assuming that the assets come there to do that. The Iranians have several different types of mines. Some of them are bottom mounted mines. Some of them are smart mines, some of them are tethered mines. We don't know how many are out there. We're not sure that even the Iranians know where they are at this point.

So going through that pretty extensive area to clear out those two major lanes is going to take some time. It's a very difficult job. And of course, doing it with a threat in the area makes it even more difficult. So we're not going to see those lanes open for some time, but we may see traffic through the lanes that are currently being used at a much higher volume than we're seeing today.

DEAN: Yes, I mean, I think that all of those distinctions are so important. And it really underscores you can't just snap your fingers and reopen it, that it's going to take many, you know, a lot of time and significant effort to do that.

Satellite images reviewed by CNN show Iran is using simple equipment like bulldozers, we're talking dump trucks, to gain access to its underground missile sites that were previously targeted by the U.S. and Israeli strikes.

What does that indicate to you about the limits of this bombing strategy and kind of where we are now when it comes to that front?

KENDALL: This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who understands the situation there. The Iranians have had a long time to prepare for air attacks by the United States.

[18:45:03]

And as have other countries. They dig a lot. They dug tunnels. They put hardened facilities together to conceal and in some cases to harden their capabilities. What I understand we did was we basically shut down the doors to those tunnels in many cases, and created damage there that would have to be repaired. But we didn't necessarily destroy the things that we were trying to get, which are the missiles and launchers that are inside those storage facilities. So this is what I would expect to see. Once the air attacks stop, Iran

is going to start to dig, dig those things out, make them available for use again. You know, a lot of the things we've heard from the administration about the success of these campaigns, I think seriously overstates what's been done. The fixed targets that we could kill earlier, we did. But after that, we're after targets like the ones you described, and they're much harder to get.

And it is possible to preserve those assets that the Iranians had and to recover from those strikes given some time.

DEAN: Yes. And look, you hit on something there, which is exactly how much damage has been done and what the state of play is. CNN has indicated that the Iranians have been able to build back some pieces of this much faster than intelligence officials thought that they could. They today were talking about drone manufacturing and that sort of thing.

But I am curious, just with your -- all of your experience, where we are at this pause at the ceasefire right now, what do you think has been accomplished and what do you think has not been accomplished?

KENDALL: Well, our key objectives have not been accomplished, at least the ones articulated by the administration. You know, the Strait of Hormuz were open before we started this and now they're closed. And so we're negotiating trying to get them open again. Iran has demonstrated quite conclusively that they can close the straits. That was a hypothetical threat before this all started.

We did take out a lot of their facilities that we could target through intelligence and peacetime. But the Navy and Air Force assets, for example, that we destroyed are not really significant military capability. They never were. That's not a major threat to the United States. But the large inventories of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles that they have is a threat to the region and to the United States.

And while we have damaged that to some degree, a lot of that is still intact. And that's pretty obvious from what we're seeing through the types of information you just described.

DEAN: Yes. All right. Secretary Frank Kendall, it's really great to have you. Thank you for your time.

KENDALL: Thank you. Good to be with you, Jessica.

DEAN: Thank you.

The voice on the other end of the phone may sound like someone you know and love, but it could also be an A.I. voice scam. We're going to tell you how to protect yourself. That's next.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[18:52:20]

DEAN: It all started when a California mom got an alarming call about holding her daughter for ransom. Believing that call was genuine because she heard her daughter's voice she sent thousands of dollars only to find out the whole thing was an A.I. scam.

CNN tech reporter Clare Duffy has more details on this.

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH CORRESPONDENT: This is a parent's worst nightmare. This mom, Deborah Del Mastro, received a call out of the blue from a random number she picked up, and first she heard a man's voice saying, I have someone you want to talk to. And then she heard what sounded like her adult daughter in distress. Take a listen to how she described that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEBORAH DEL MASTRO, SCAM VICTIM: This male voice said, who is this? And I said, well, who is this? And he said, someone that you need to talk to. It was my daughter's voice having an absolute panic attack, trying to breathe, scared, telling me that, you know, I'm -- I love you, mom. I'm so sorry. I'm so scared. And then they just cut it off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DUFFY: The scammers then demanded that she send thousands of dollars to several different accounts, which she did, and only then did she try calling her daughter, who answered immediately because she was at work like normal. And Deborah realized that she had been scammed.

But she is not alone. This is an increasingly common type of scam known as A.I. voice cloning, where scammers will take even just a few seconds of someone's voice recorded in a social media post or via an earlier scam call where somebody's voice was recorded. They can use widely available A.I. tools to create a really convincing replica of someone's voice, and then make this call to a loved one that sounds like their family member is on the other end of the line, having been kidnaped or in jail.

The scammers will often urgently demand thousands of dollars for that persons release. And experts say that you can no longer reliably tell whether a voice on the other end of a call is A.I. generated based on voice fluctuations or weird pauses. This technology has just gotten too good, but there are some other things you can do to avoid falling victim to this type of scam. The most important thing, experts say, is to just take a breath and slow down if you receive a call like this, however scary it may be.

Hackers will often play up a sense of urgency. They might tell you that you can't tell anybody about what's going on, trying to prey on the fear in this moment. You can also try to contact your loved one who sounds like they're on the other end of the line through some other means while you stay on that call. So you could send them a text message, or if you have another device in the home, try to call them.

Try to call somebody who would know where they are to determine whether they are in fact just at work as normal as was Deborah's daughter. Families can also have conversations prior to something like this happening to establish a code word.

[18:55:00]

This is something that only a small number of people in the family should know. It should not be written down or online anywhere, but it could be used to establish whether the person on the other end of the line is who they say they are in the event of a scam like this.

It's so important for people to be aware that this is happening. Americans lost $893 million to A.I. related scams last year. That includes these A.I. voice scams and also things like romance and phishing scams. So these are very much on the rise. Important to have conversations with your family members before something like this happens. Back to you.

DEAN: That's good advice. And it's happening more and more.

Clare Duffy, thank you so much.

We'll be right back.

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