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Trump Proposes Changes to Text of Iran Peace Deal; Israel Seizes Crusader-Era Castle in Southern Lebanon; LGBTQ+ Pride Month Kicks Off Globally; Kenyan Government Moving Forward with Quarantine Center Plans; Rescuers in Laos Return to Cave to Locate 2 Missing Men; Woman Secures Father's Release from 'Alligator Alcatraz'; Celebrating 'Nerd Culture' at Inaugural Hong Kong Comic-Con; Films by YouTube Talent Top U.S. Box Office. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired June 01, 2026 - 00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Wherever you are in the world, you are now in a CNN NEWSROOM with me, Ben Hunte in Atlanta. And it is so good to have you with me.

[00:00:45]

Coming up on the show, President Trump has some edits for the proposed Iran deal, extending high-stakes negotiations into another week.

And one of the world's leading nonprofits is sounding the alarm on the impact of Ebola on children as the latest outbreak continues to spread.

Plus, with Pride Month kicking off all around the world, we'll take a look at the state of queer rights across the globe.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Ben Hunte.

HUNTE: Welcome. We begin in the Middle East, where the U.S. and Iran still don't have a deal to end the war.

U.S. officials say President Donald Trump has sent back changes to the proposed deal after meeting with his advisors on Friday. We don't know specifics, but one foreign official tells CNN that the changes aren't, quote, "substantive" and are mostly about assurances for the U.S.

Negotiations will now continue this week, and that's well after President Trump declared the deal, quote, "largely finalized."

CNN's Mike Valerio joins me now from Beijing. Mr. Valerio, what more can you tell us? Good to see you.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we can tell you that the Iranian side also wants edits to this deal. But before we get to that, specifically comments from Iran's Parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. We want to get to CENTCOM, which has just posted on X, Benny, over the

past couple of minutes that the United States has struck new Iranian targets on both Saturday and Sunday. There's the post.

And they're calling it a measured and deliberate strike Saturday and Sunday in response to aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a United States MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters.

So, in response, CENTCOM took out Iranian radar command and control sites in Goruk, Iran, and Qeshm Island over the weekend. U.S. fighter aircraft swiftly eliminated also air defenses, according to this post, ground control station, and attack drones that posed clear threats, the Americans say, to ships transiting regional waters.

So, this is all in the context of, as you so well put it in the introduction to the show, what is going to happen with this deal?

We have had, during the ceasefire period, clashes back and forth between either the Iranian or the American side.

So, let's get to what the Iranians say that they want. Again, the Parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, saying that he doesn't trust the words of the Americans and wants, what he told the Parliament, something tangible coming from this deal, because trust is so low from Tehran.

So, in terms of, Benny, what something tangible could be, we're thinking -- and certainly, the sentiment of global analysts -- would be $24 billion in unfrozen assets tied to the Strait of Hormuz gradually reopening.

However, Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., are irate over the prospect of money being given towards Iran or to Iran after all of these hostilities, somewhat mirroring the rancor that Republicans delivered President Obama more than a decade ago, when money was unfrozen for Iran after the nuclear deal was signed and delivered in Geneva, Switzerland, back in 2015.

So, again, Iran also wants assurances that its nuclear program can persevere. And it says, frankly, that negotiations about its nuclear program will not be happening in any substantial way during this phase of the negotiations.

That has drawn the ire of President Trump. I don't know how that is going to compute as we start a new week.

But in terms of the Strait of Hormuz, I thought it was also interesting to see that the United States fired on, Benny, fired on a Gambian-flagged ship that was trying to make its way into an Iranian port after the United States side says that it fired more than 20 -- I shouldn't say "fired." It gave more than 20 warning signals to the ship before firing a missile and disabling its engines.

So, we are very much in a holding period and seeing, will any of the specific wants of D.C. or Tehran be addressed as the Strait of Hormuz is still in this choke point?

And we still don't know if the timeline of Marco Rubio, who said, oh, yes, you know, just one or two words, or one sentence disagreement, if that sort of framing is going to hold as we enter a new week -- Benny.

[00:05:07]

HUNTE: OK. Very comprehensive. Thank you so much, Mr. Valerio. Appreciate it. Speak to you soon.

VALERIO: Thanks a lot. Thanks.

HUNTE: Sina Azodi is the director of the Middle East studies program at George Washington University. He's also the author of "Iran and the Bomb: The United States, Iran, and the Nuclear Question." He joins me from Washington, D.C.

It's good to see you, sir.

President Trump has apparently sent back changes to this draft agreement. Based on what we're hearing, does this suggest that the two sides are actually close to a deal, or are there still major obstacles for them to overcome?

SINA AZODI, DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST STUDIES PROGRAM, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: I think we are still close to the deal. We heard in the past few days that they were very close to the deal.

But it appears to me that President Trump is under a lot of pressure, and he was in your reporting, actually, that he's under pressure from the right wing of his party. A lot of pundits on the right side, the people who really have historically opposed diplomacy between Iran and the United States.

So, he -- and he really doesn't want to give them any excuses. That's why he needs to adopt a more kind of a hardline position, especially when it comes, again, as it was in your reporting, on freezing of the Iranian assets.

So, this is why I think there's a lot of back and forth. The Iranian side has also said that they want assurances about the deal and the future of the deal.

They've also threatened that, if it doesn't serve their interests, they're going to tear it apart. And they actually used the example of the U.S. in 2015.

So, there's a lot of back and forth. And both sides are trying to protect their chips.

HUNTE: President Trump did recently describe the deal as largely finalized, though. So, do you think that was an accurate reflection of where things were at?

AZODI: I think so, but we have to keep in mind that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed upon, meaning that this MOU, or the memorandum of understanding, that Iran and the United States are trying to come to an agreement, it really involves a political understanding about ending the conflict and Iran's commitment not to ever procure, in any way, nuclear weapons.

But it's going to be far more in detail. There has to be technical understanding of how Iran will curtail its nuclear program, and so on and so forth. And what will the United States do?

But I still think we're very close, but the details need to be discussed and agreed.

HUNTE: If a deal is reached, what would success look like for the United States? Is the goal preventing Iran from building a nuclear weapon or eliminating its nuclear future altogether?

AZODI: Well, I think the -- the president's stated comments are that Iran cannot have developed nuclear weapons. This is something that the Iranians have committed themselves under the NPT and actually JCPOA.

But I think the president is conflating "no nuclear weapons" with the dismantling of the Iranian nuclear program, meaning that he really -- at least he's under pressure from some people to pressure Iranians to completely dismantle the nuclear program, something that they are not going to agree to. They want to preserve some nuclear capacity.

But if he really wants no nuclear weapons, I think there are many ways to ensure that Iran cannot procure or sneak out and develop nuclear weapons. I think there are many ways to do that.

For example, the option of zero stockpile of enriched uranium, which was previously on the table. And the Iranians have -- had agreed to it. I think that's one way to ensure that they can never develop nuclear weapons.

A moratorium, also, on -- on enriching uranium. That's also another way that would ease the concerns of the United States for a long period of time.

HUNTE: And from Iran's perspective, then what would leaders in Tehran need to show their own people that this still was a success?

AZODI: I think there are two things on -- on the nuclear front. One is preserving what they call the right of enrichment, right to enrichment. And they -- they've said in the past, and they've done in the past, that they could agree to a suspension of enrichment, uranium enrichment.

But I don't think that they will surrender on the principle of enrichment. This is something they're not going to agree to.

[00:10:04]

And secondly, it's the unfreezing of Iranian assets and some sanctions relief, which is something they desperately need after this war, because they need to recover their economy. Inflation is really high as a result of the war. Unemployment has gone

up. So, they really need that money to re -- redevelop their infrastructure, and bring back some life to their economy. That's from a technical standpoint.

But politically, they're also very interested in ending the war and reach a political settlement with the United States. And -- and end hostilities once for all.

HUNTE: Just to finish here. So, as negotiators prepare for the next round of talks, what's the single issue you'll be watching most closely that could determine whether a deal is signed or completely falls apart.

AZODI: Well, as I said -- as I said, the Iranians' brightest red line is the issue of uranium enrichment on Iran. If the United States and Iran can agree, through some formulation, whether it's suspension of enrichment, it can be a zero-stockpile option in Iran, join or ratifying rather the additional protocol of NPT.

This is something that, you know, is -- is necessary for Iranians. This is something that they needed. And once the U.S. OKs this, I think that we can have a deal.

HUNTE: OK. Sina Azodi, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

AZODI: Thank you for having me.

HUNTE: Despite a U.S.-backed truce, fighting in Southern Lebanon is getting more intense.

Israeli troops seized the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders troops deeper into the neighbor's territory.

CNN's Jerusalem bureau chief Oren Liebermann has the latest for us.

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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): As Israel pushes further 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. The Israeli military says Hezbollah has 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.

LIEBERMANN: 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)

HUNTE: Rescue operations are underway after a blast in Northeastern Myanmar killed at least 45 people and injured at least 70 more.

The blast happened around noon on Sunday in a building storing mining explosives.

Rescue workers say six children are among the dead.

The explosion occurred in the village of Kaung Tat, near China's Yunnan province. That area is controlled by one of Myanmar's many ethnic minority rebel groups.

It says the cause of the blast is under investigation.

Colombia's presidency is headed for a highly polarized runoff election that could redefine relations with the U.S. That is after preliminary results show a political outsider surprisingly won the first round of voting on Sunday.

Right-wing pro-Trump candidate Abelardo de la Espriella took more than 43 percent of the vote but fell short of an absolute majority. [00:15:08]

The lawyer and businessman will face the leftist government-backed candidate, Senator Ivan Cepeda, in a runoff on June 21.

The election is widely viewed as a verdict on the turbulent presidency of Gustavo Petro, who came to power in 2022.

Still to come, June 1 marks the first day of Pride Month. But amid all of the celebrations, there are some new concerns. We'll discuss with my next guest just ahead. See you in a moment.

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[00:20:00]

HUNTE: Welcome back. Pride Month celebrations are underway in many parts of the world.

Thousands of people filled the streets of Bangkok to kick off their annual Pride parade.

Thailand made history last year after becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to recognize same-sex marriage.

In Budapest, police say they will not be cracking down on any Pride celebrations there. The decision signals a major shift in Hungary's LGBTQ policy since Prime Minister Peter Magyar took office earlier this month.

Meanwhile, in Ghana, lawmakers approved a bill criminalizing promotion of LGBTQ activity. The proposed legislation makes it illegal to fund, sponsor, or even promote LGBTQ acts, with prison terms ranging from three to five years.

Maria Sjodin is executive director, Outright International, and is joining us from New York.

Maria, welcome to Pride Month. For many people, Pride is a celebration. But what do you think the reality is for LGBTQ people around the world right now?

MARIA SJODIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OUTRIGHT INTERNATIONAL: Well, right now, I think there are, unfortunately, a lot of LGBTQ people who are fighting to be safe, to be able to gather freely, to live openly, because right now there's a global backlash against LGBTQ people that we see play out, unfortunately, in country after country.

HUNTE: Ghana's Parliament has just passed legislation that critics say would significantly expand restrictions on LGBTQ people. What are your thoughts on that? I mean, it's still waiting to go through the entirety of Parliament, but what message does it send to LGBTQ communities, not just in Ghana but across Africa

SJODIN: Unfortunately, this is quite a horrible law that isn't just -- just, you know, I'm using that loosely here -- but it's not just targeting LGBTQ people. And it's targeting their very existence: freedom of speech, their ability to get funding to do anything, any kind of advocacy.

It essentially criminalizes anyone from who wants to identify as LGBTQ. It means that other people have the duty to report if they are aware of sexual acts between people of the same sex.

And even allies could be sent to prison for being allies to the LGBTQ community.

So of course, this is sending a horrible message to people in Ghana and, really, I think in the entire region. And what I think is very concerning is that this bill has passed through Parliament. It's waiting for the president to potentially sign it into law.

But it's also been cheered on by conservatives from the U.S. and from Europe, Christian conservatives, who have been cheering on and supporting and supposedly even funding the passage of this law.

And what it attempts to do is to say that this law is -- or LGBTQ people are not part of Ghana, which of course, they are. LGBTQ people exist in every country and have done so since the beginning of humankind.

And in fact, the imposition is through, first, the British colonial laws. But now, also through this spread of hateful laws. Ghana is the latest example. But we've seen it before, as well.

HUNTE: Hungary offers quite a different story. After efforts to restrict Pride events for many years now, authorities say that Budapest Pride can go ahead in full this year. Does that show that public resistance can still make a big difference?

SJODIN: Absolutely. You know, Budapest Pride was banned last year. And in spite of that, it was a record number of participants, Hundreds of thousands of people participated in Budapest Pride last year.

And they did so, of course, many of them, to show support for the LGBTQ community, but also to demonstrate to the government that their authoritarian regime was not what people wanted.

So, the Pride itself became a broader protest. And I think this is something to, for the rest of us in the world, to be inspired by that protesting and marching can still make a difference and play a role in protecting democracy for everyone.

HUNTE: I can't believe that we're entering Pride Month 2026 with plans for a trans bathroom ban in the U.K., rollbacks of DEI programs in the U.S. LGBTQ hate speech is becoming a feature of elections all around the world.

But there has to be hope, right? What is still giving you hope for the future?

[00:25:03]

SJODIN: Well, I think the -- my biggest source of hope is that LGBTQ people are organizing in almost every country around the world.

In spite of everything, our visibility is up. People are more visibility -- visible. They are still coming out.

And that to me is what's changing the world. It's like, you know, someone who is LGBTQ, you know, there is they're the same person after they come out to you, after you find out, as they were before.

And I think this is why it's so critical to allow for the visibility of LGBTQ people; for allow to the visibility of Pride; and for our allies to speak up, to talk about, you know, we're part of their family. We're part of their colleagues. We're part of every situation.

And that is something that I find to be incredibly hopeful. And I mean, I also -- one thing that I see in, actually, a lot of different countries is parents organizing; parents who want to say, you know, we want to support our children no matter who they are. We love them just as they are. And they are organizing and coming together.

So, those are some of the things that I find to be incredibly hopeful.

HUNTE: Love that. Maria Sjodin, thank you so much for that. Appreciate it.

SJODIN: Thank you so much for having me.

HUNTE: Still to come, a deadly Ebola outbreak continues to grow in parts of Africa. I'll speak with an expert about the urgent need to protect children there. See you in a moment.

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[00:31:26[

HUNTE: Welcome back. I'm Ben Hunte. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

U.S. officials say President Trump has sent back changes to the Iran peace deal proposal. They have not shared what those changes are.

But they say the president has insisted on reassurances about Iran's nuclear commitments and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran says it will not strike a deal with the U.S. until its, quote, "rights are secured."

Rescue operations are underway after a blast in Northeastern Myanmar killed at least 45 people and injured at least 17 more. The blast happened around noon on Sunday in a building storing mining explosives.

Rescue workers say six children are among the dead.

Preliminary results show Colombia's presidency is heading for a run- off election after pro-Trump political outsider Abelardo de la Espriella won the most votes, but not a majority. He would face the leftist government-backed candidate, Senator Ivan

Cepeda, on June 21. But President Gustavo Petro says he does not accept the preliminary results.

Kenya's high court is set to hear continued arguments this week on whether the government can open an Ebola quarantine facility, in partnership with the U.S.

A judge ruled against the facility opening in Kenya while facing legal challenges, but government officials are still pushing forward with plans regardless of the court order. So far, Kenya has not recorded any Ebola cases.

CNN's Larry Madowo has more details for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kenya and the United States appear to be going ahead with this U.S. Ebola containment facility at a military base in central Kenya, partly because there are long-standing deals between these two countries.

Some of these health partnerships precede the current Kenyan and the current American administrations.

MADOWO (voice-over): A high court judge specifically blocked Kenya from getting into this deal with the U.S. for the Ebola containment facility, barred it from accepting, transferring anybody exposed to Ebola, anybody with confirmed Ebola symptoms until it is heard in court and determined. It will come up for mention again on June 2.

But because there are existing biosafety deals with the U.S., they can technically get away with this --

MADOWO: -- even though there's huge national outrage against what many in the country see as Kenya importing Ebola cases, when the country so far has no cases.

And the health minister addressed this in an interview.

ADEN DUALE, KENYAN HEALTH CABINET SECRETARY: There's nowhere where it is said we are bringing Ebola patients to Laikipia. That facility is a military facility. Kenyan's defense forces will use that facility. Other Kenyans will use that facility.

And by the way, let me say this. I don't know why people are so much about the U.S. If there's one country that has contributed between 25 to 35 percent of the health budget since independence.

MADOWO: That is about 63 years of U.S. support for Kenya's healthcare system. In fact, the U.S. is one of the largest funders of health care here in the country.

MADOWO (voice-over): Also, people have pointed out here in the country that both the current Ruto and Trump administrations have sometimes ignored rulings they don't like, so it would not be surprising if they were going ahead to do that in this case, as well.

A source telling CNN that the Americans who will man this Ebola containment facility arrived at the Laikipia Air Base on Saturday.

The Health and Human Services Department previously told CNN that they're sending a specialized team -- highly trained doctors, nurses, lab technologists, mental health practitioners, even engineers -- that will take care of the Americans --

MADOWO: -- who are exposed to Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and need to quickly get out of there, but can't stand that long journey back to the U.S.

MADOWO (voice-over): So, for many Kenyans, they're still wondering why their country got into this, even though there's the money aspect, $13.5 million committed by the U.S. to Kenya for Ebola preparedness efforts.

Larry Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Children in the Democratic Republic of Congo are one of the most vulnerable groups in the current Ebola outbreak. That is according to humanitarian group Save the Children.

Government figures released just days ago showed children making up 25 percent of the confirmed Ebola deaths.

Save the Children warns children there face other indirect consequences from the outbreak, including disruptions to health and nutritional services, loss of caregivers, and psychological distress.

Rescuers in Laos have discovered a 100-meter vertical shaft, dropping down to a deeper part of the cave, where five men were rescued last week. Crews are trying to locate two more men, believed to be in a different part of the cave system. They hope the vertical shaft will be a shortcut to finding those missing men.

You might recall that four of those other men walked out of the cave unaided on Saturday after being trapped for more than a week.

CNN's Will Ripley has more for us on the unexpected appearance that did stun rescuers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I didn't see this coming. When I was chatting with the rescue divers here in central Laos, they told me --

RIPLEY: -- it would be a miracle if all five villagers made it out alive. And then, a miracle happened.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. OK.

RIPLEY: I get goosebumps thinking about it.

RIPLEY (voice-over): The rain stopped for just long enough and the pumps worked just well enough. And the men inside the cave were just brave enough to go for it. And they did it. They crawled and climbed their way out.

RIPLEY: And shocked everybody; shocked me.

I do believe in a higher power, and I feel like I felt that power, standing there, watching this incredible community of people from Laos, from Thailand, and all over the world come to this remote place in the middle of the mountains, come together in a feat of engineering, technology, willpower.

RIPLEY: Congratulations.

RIPLEY (voice-over): And the monsoon rains that held off just long enough to make this possible.

We traveled a long way. Many hours to come here, and I feel like it was a blessing and a privilege to witness --

RIPLEY: -- this miracle here in Laos.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: CNN's Will Ripley filing that report for us.

OK. Florida's infamous migrant detention center, Alligator Alcatraz, may be closing, leaving the future of the detainees there very unclear. Ahead, CNN speaks with one woman who successfully fought to free her father from that facility. See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:42:50]

HUNTE: Protests continued on Sunday past a nightly curfew near an ICE facility in Newark, New Jersey.

Police and protesters have been clashing for days outside the Delaney Hall detention facility. Tensions escalated about a week ago when hundreds of detainees went on a hunger strike to protest spoiled food and poor conditions there.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says he visited the facility on Sunday morning. He said, "At Delaney Hall, we learned of unsanitary living conditions, lack of adequate medical care and unhealthy food."

The Department of Homeland Security disputes these claims. Earlier, CNN spoke to John Sandweg, the former acting director of ICE, about the challenges of running these facilities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN SANDWEG, FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR, U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT: The truth is probably in the middle as it relates to Delaney Hall.

But certainly, I do have concerns nationwide, having -- having worked -- having, you know, run, served as the acting director of ICE, and worked very closely with ICE for years before that at DHS, I can tell you that the tension is hard.

It can be hard to -- to provide that adequate level of care for -- and you know, the goal should be, frankly, to only use detention when absolutely necessary to protect, keep public safety threats off the street, or to guard against flight risks.

Unfortunately, this administration has chosen to do a rapid expansion of detention. And the problem is, when you go that quickly, you can -- you can -- not that -- not that ICE cares, because in my -- doesn't care. Excuse me. In my experience, ICE very much cares, but it is just an incredible logistical challenge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: A woman fought for months to free her father from the controversial ICE detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz, but his release comes as the facility is expected to shut down over the summer, with the fate of the remaining detainees unclear. CNN's Carolina Peguero reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARIANNE BETANCOURT, DAUGHTER OF JUSTO BETANCOURT: I can't even say that I'm happy and not cry.

CAROLINA PEGUERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A relentless legal battle.

A. BETANCOURT: Papi's home, and we got him some Cafecito.

PEGUERO (voice-over): And a daughter doing everything in her power to get her father released from Florida's migrant detention center, known as Alligator Alcatraz.

A. BETANCOURT: I've worked so hard over the last six months for this.

And everyone told me that it was impossible, to give up, that I wasn't going to get it done. And my dad is sitting right next to me.

[00:45:06]

PEGUERO (voice-over): Her father, a Cuban national, Justo Betancourt, is one of thousands of migrants who have been held at what was billed with much fanfare as a temporary facility.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It's an amazing job. They've all done a great job.

PEGUERO (voice-over): Under conditions Justo says are inhumane, with shared cells with barely any space and little to no access to food and medicine. JUSTO BETANCOURT, FORMER "ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ" DETAINEE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: From the moment you arrive, you're an animal that's assigned a number.

A. BETANCOURT: My dad's health was not the best before he went into Alligator Alcatraz, but my dad, the condition that they released him in. I learned today that my dad had a mini stroke while he was detained.

PEGUERO (voice-over): Wearing an ankle monitor, Justo recalls being moved through several immigration centers. At one point, U.S. authorities sent him to Mexico, but officials there refused to take him, due to his poor health. He was then sent back to the Florida center.

Arianne recalls the day he was detained.

A. BETANCOURT: He showed up to his routine immigration check-in. I was sitting in the car, and we were waiting. And hours were going by, and we couldn't see him anymore. He wasn't outside.

And a woman showed up, screaming that her husband had called her on his Apple watch and told her that they detained him and the other 15 guys that were in line with him.

PEGUERO (voice-over): ICE tells CNN Justo entered the U.S. illegally and has past criminal history for possession and selling illicit substances, though he says he served time for those charges.

For now, he's back with his family. Justo was released after his attorney filed several petitions for habeas corpus.

MIRIAM HASKELL, LAWYER, COMMUNITY JUSTICE PROJECT: We argued that the government still did not have a plan for his deportation.

And the government responded to say that Mr. Betancourt would be sent to Mexico but ignored the fact that his removal had been attempted to Mexico in the past and had been denied.

And so that, combined with the length of his deportation, demonstrated that the government really doesn't have a plan and didn't have a plan for his deportation.

PEGUERO (voice-over): And as the center is set to close, the big question is what happens to the hundreds of detainees that activists say are still being held in the Florida center?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very likely that most, if not all, are going to end up at other detention centers, unfortunately.

PEGUERO (voice-over): Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's office did not directly respond to the questions about the fate of the detainees after the detention camp closes. Instead, referred us to comments the governor made earlier this month defending the facility. GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): Being able to fill that void where, at the

time, the federal government did not have the resources to do it. No question, that saved lives. No question, it's increased public safety, and no question it's the right thing to do.

PEGUERO (voice-over): For now, Arianne and her dad are making up for lost time.

J. BETANCOURT: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: As your dad, the biggest thing I can tell you is that I'm proud of you. I've always been proud of you, since the day you were born.

A. BETANCOURT: I love you, Papi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: We'll be right back with more CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: Welcome back. The United States men's national team scored a 3- 2 win over Senegal in a World Cup warm-up match on Sunday.

The U.S. is co-hosting the World Cup with Canada and Mexico this very summer.

[00:50:05]

The team has one more warm-up against Germany on Saturday before opening their Group D campaign against Paraguay in Los Angeles on June 12.

Senegal played their first match against France on June 16 at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Football fans all across Europe are now recovering from a weekend full of celebration. In Paris on Sunday, tens of thousands of people gave a hero's welcome to Paris Saint-Germain players who won their second Champions League trophy. That was after beating Arsenal on penalties in Budapest.

However, Arsenal's pain was very swiftly eclipsed by jubilation in North London on Sunday. Hundreds of thousands of people cheered as the team paraded their very first Premier League trophy in 22 years.

Onwards.

Fans of comics and anime gathered in Hong Kong this weekend. They celebrated the city's first ever Comic Con. CNN's senior international correspondent and self-proclaimed nerd, Ivan Watson, was there, and he's going to show us all about it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, my goodness. It's Colonel Sanders with big muscles and fried chicken.

Just an example of the random stuff that I'm seeing at Hong Kong's first Comic-Con. And the crowd here is in form, and it's fun.

Where else do you get to see Rick with his portal? And I don't even know what that machine is. And over here, you've got Groot wandering around, waving at people. And statues of Spider-Man showing his hindquarters.

This is a venue where people get to nerd out and celebrate nerd culture. And I love it.

I confess that I'm a bit of a kid in a candy store right now, because I grew up reading Marvel comics, superhero comics, and I wouldn't let anybody at middle school see my issues of "Uncanny X-men," because I was a little bit ashamed of it.

But here, this kind of culture is being celebrated. It has gone fully mainstream. The whole point at these things is to be a fan, to dress up, to have people take photos of you, and to take photos.

Hey, Freddy. Hey, how's it going, man?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wonderful.

WATSON: How's your first Comic Con in Hong Kong?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes.

WATSON: Digging it. All right.

And that is my report. As I geek out at Hong Kong's first Comic-Con.

Ivan Watson, CNN, in Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: OK. Have a look at this. You are seeing a rare blue moon rise above the Temple of Poseidon in Greece on Sunday.

And no, your eyes weren't deceiving you there. Despite the name, the moon isn't actually blue. However, the term refers to the very rare lunar event when a second full moon occurs in the same calendar month.

The phrase "blue moon" actually dates back to the 1500s, when it was used to describe something thought to be impossible. This celestial event only happens every 2 to 3 years. And this year's blue moon also marked the end of spring.

The top two films in America right now are very much challenging the Hollywood establishment and proving that passion and marketing can do more than some historic studios.

CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter has more details for us on how YouTube is now responsible for producing the very next top filmmakers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes, the YouTube revolution has officially come for Hollywood.

It was a historic weekend at the box office, with the top two movies in America being "Backrooms" and "Obsession."

STELTER (voice-over): Both of these are horror movies made by 20- something directors who honed their craft on YouTube.

Both were able to use relatively small amounts of money to make their movies, and then market them inexpensively online to their existing fan bases. And this formula worked astonishingly well.

All of Hollywood now buzzing about how these two movies broke out and what it might mean for the future of the movie business.

Now, "Obsession" came out first. It came out on May 15. It's directed by 26-year-old Curry Barker. It cost less than $1 million to produce, and so far it's made $150 million not just in the U.S., but around the world.

That is a jaw-dropping return on investment. Something like that almost never happens in the movie business.

Then this past weekend came "Backrooms," directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons. He developed the "Backrooms" project for years on his YouTube channel. He had millions of fans online, doing that.

[00:50:12]

He was able to win the backing of some independent movie studios, so he had about $10 million to make the movie. And still, it absolutely crushed expectations.

It ranked No. 1 in its opening weekend in the U.S. and in other markets, raking in about $120 million worldwide, with ticket sales driven by Gen Z.

A-24 says that Parsons now ranks as the youngest filmmaker in Hollywood history to release a film that finished No. 1 in its first weekend at the box office.

Now, as for "Obsession," it was No. 2 over the weekend, which means it pushed the new "Star Wars" movie, "The Mandalorian and Grogu," down to No. 3. Yes, the new "Star Wars" movie being beaten out by these low- budget horror flicks.

STELTER: Now, for most movies, opening weekend is by far the most lucrative. Ticket sales taper off afterwards.

STELTER (voice-over): But "Obsession keeps growing. It's been building week after week, and there's a possibility that "Backrooms" is also going to make a lot more money in the coming weeks.

This is the third movie this year from a YouTuber that's broken out in a big way. There was "Iron Lung" that came out back in January.

STELTER: So, what does this hot streak mean? Well, everybody in Hollywood is talking about that.

STELTER (voice-over): For one thing, it means that young people are still willing to go out to the movie theater, to buy tickets, to -- to spend money, to spend time at the old-fashioned cinema, if they know, and they like, and they relate to the YouTube-era talent.

STELTER: Also -- and this is really big -- Hollywood studios are now going to be chasing this success, scouring the Web to find the next great director.

And to some extent, yes, this has been going on for a while, this YouTube to film pipeline. But the huge success of "Obsession" and "Backrooms" is being described as a wake-up call for traditional studios, that they have to focus more on this talent pipeline.

STELTER (voice-over): I'm reading a lot of movie critics saying they're hoping the studio bosses will spend a little less money on franchises and predictable (ph) sequels now and make more bets on the next generation of YouTube-type talent.

STELTER: So, in other words, coming up with more of these hits will be the industry's next obsession.

Brian Stelter, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Cannot wait to see some of those films. But for now, that's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta.

I'll be right back, though, with more CNN NEWSROOM right after this very quick break. See you in a moment.

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