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Regional Source Says U.S.-Iran Talks Are Back On Track; Protests, Clashes, Arrests At Controversial ICE Facility; Israel Appears To Scale Back Plans For Strikes On Beirut; Israeli Parliament Advances Bill for Early Elections; No Clear Leader Ahead of Primary Election for Los Angeles Mayor; Polls Show Extremely Tight Race for Los Angeles Mayor; Kenya's High Court to Resume Case Over Quarantine Facility; WHO Chief Visits DRC, Discusses Response to Ebola Outbreak; Treasure Recovered From 18th Century Shipwreck Near Norway; Amy Sherald Exhibition Makes Final Stop in Atlanta. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired June 02, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:58]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, rescuers look for survivors in a collapsed apartment building as Russia hits Kyiv with another wave of drones.

On again, off again. Peace talks are back on with Iran. How soon President Trump is predicting a deal can be reached now.

And why some people are turning to capsule hotels to beat the high costs of travel.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. And we begin with a deadly new bombardment from Russia. Ukrainian officials report at least 10 people have been killed in a large-scale attack by Russian forces on the cities of Kyiv and Dnipro. Strikes on the Ukrainian capital are continuing, with a ballistic missile threat being issued. Officials say more than 100 people have been wounded in the assault. Strikes reportedly hit multiple buildings. The targets include a clinic and a children's school, sparking fires and burning cars.

And officials say people have been trapped under the rubble of a residential building. Some were able to find shelter in a metro station during the siege. This comes after warnings from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that a, "Massive strike was possible." Ukrainians worn down by years of war say the aid they're getting from allies is not enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): You see, we are surviving on our own. Ukrainians are surviving on their own. Although aid is coming from the West, I don't think they're helping much. If international pressure was stronger, I think it would all be over sooner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Russia's Ministry of Defense says the massive attacks were in response to, "Terrorist acts committed by the Kyiv regime."

Now this comes as Ukrainian drone attacks are sparking a fuel crisis in Russian-controlled Crimea. Fuel coupons have been introduced, and gasoline sales have been limited. The shortage comes as Ukraine ramps up strikes on the Kremlin's critical oil infrastructure. This video shows a Russian oil refinery engulfed in flames last month.

And on Monday, Kyiv's drone attacks hit fuel supply routes in southeastern Ukraine. One resident in Crimea described how the conflict is complicating everyday life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXANDER ANDRIYEVSKY, SEVASTOPOL RESIDENT (through translator): I feel discomfort that I have to wait in a queue for gasoline. Today, I'm waiting for three hours already, and I don't know if there will be enough left for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, France has seized a sanctioned oil tanker sailing from Russian waters. The French military released this video showing service members boarding the Madagascar registered ship known as the Tagor in the North Atlantic. The French president said several partners, including the U.K., helped seize the crude oil tanker. Here's what the Kremlin had to say:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESMAN (through translator): We consider such actions to be illegal, they border on international piracy. We strongly disagree that they are being carried out in full compliance with international law. As you know, Russia is taking a number of measures to ensure the safety of its cargo and will continue to do so, taking into account this negative experience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: This is the third known seizure of a Russia-connected oil tanker in recent months. The U.S. has eased sanctions on Russian oil already at sea, but the E.U. has kept theirs in place.

Original source tells CNN talks between Washington and Tehran are back on track. Iranian media reported Monday that Tehran had suspended negotiations over Israel's continued strikes on Lebanon. President Trump striking an optimistic tone later in the day, telling ABC News the talks with Iran are continuing at a rapid pace, and an agreement could be reached over the next week.

[02:05:07]

Well, President Trump spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in what sources describe as a very heated conversation, Trump took credit for deterring Israel from launching a major raid on Beirut. The President called it a little glitch that he turned around very quickly.

Residents fled the Lebanese capital after Israel vowed to strike Hezbollah targets there. The Israeli Defense Minister had declared there is no ceasefire in Lebanon, but later Israeli leaders seem to back off, although Netanyahu warned that the IDF would continue to operate as planned in southern Lebanon.

Well, for more on all the latest developments, we want to bring in CNN's Mike Valerio. He joins us live from Beijing. Good to see you, Mike.

So, a heated conversation between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu appears to have gotten us talks with Iran back on track. So, what are you learning about what exactly was said on that phone call?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think he did is probably the best way to describe it. We're waiting for Iran to respond to this. It's 9:30 in the morning, or just after 9:30 in Tehran, but it is an eye- popping conversation. If you haven't seen it or heard it, let's get to it. We'll take you through it, and then we'll talk about it a little bit more on the other side.

This is reported by CNN's global analyst Barack Ravid, reporting this for Axios. Him summarizing the point of view of a U.S. official who is privy to this phone call between Trump and Netanyahu. Trump saying to the Israeli prime minister, "Your expletive crazy, you'd be in prison if it weren't for me. I'm saving your expletive. Everyone hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this."

So, leaving this phone call in one bucket, what is underlying this is the White House's point of view that without -- that with Israel's actions in Lebanon, that was preventing the United States from reaching a deal with Iran.

At the heart of all of this, the Strait of Hormuz is still closed. That is a huge political problem for President Trump, as gas prices are still quite elevated in the United States. Affordability looms large for the midterm election, so he needs this thing, he needs the Strait of Hormuz opened as soon as possible, and Iran yesterday, as you noted, comes to the table and says we're putting things on pause because this cease fire in Israel between Israel and Lebanon, Hezbollah forces in Lebanon is not working out.

So, the president after this phone call posts on Truth that talks between Iran and the United States are now continuing at a rapid pace. He also posts on Truth, Rosemary, that he somehow spoke through high- level representatives to Hezbollah, which would be the first time that a sitting American president has ever done that. So, now that the U.S. side says that a cease fire is in place between

Hezbollah and Israel, and that negotiations between the United States and Iran are back on track, we need to hear from Tehran. We haven't heard that at this early juncture in the early afternoon here in East Asia. We did hear from Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who said a couple days ago, over the weekend, that Iran needs more guarantees that its nuclear program will be able to persist, and that $24 billion in frozen funds in Qatar will be able to slowly defrost, be unfrozen by the United States.

So, after this ceasefire back and forth, we are waiting to hear from Iran about what happens next, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes, indeed we are. Mike Valerio joining us there with that live report. Appreciate it.

Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi is an associate fellow for the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House. She joins me now from Abu Dhabi. Appreciate you being with us.

ANISEH BASSIRI TABRIZI, ASSOCIATE FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA PROGRAM, CHATHAM HOUSE: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: Of course. So, U.S. talks with Iran are back on track, according to a regional source. After Iran earlier suspended negotiations in response to Israel's continued strikes on Lebanon, Axios is reporting that a furious President Trump told Netanyahu at one point in a phone conversation, "You're effing crazy." And now the Israeli Prime Minister has backed off, and the talks are back on.

What's your response to this extraordinary exchange, and of course, the outcome? And how do you think Iran will respond to this?

BASSIRI TABRIZI: Well, I think we are in a situation in which there are multiple factors in place to see if the negotiations can actually resume and succeed. We already know that the situation was complicated because we have somewhat of a framework between the two sides, which has to do with an extension of the ceasefire, together with the lifting of the blockade on one side and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on the other, and some sort of understanding that nuclear negotiation will come next.

[02:10:18]

So, I think the framework is there, but the details are not all sketched out. We know that there are still sticking points on both sides, so even before what happened yesterday, the situation was not all that smooth. I think the complicating factor now is Lebanon, and what is going to happen there. It is clear that Netanyahu is keen to resume its military operation in Lebanon, and in fact sees that as one of its priorities, so I think the big question is, will President Trump be able to continue to rein in Netanyahu, or will he have, you know, increasing challenges in blocking what seemed to be a very looming operation in Southern Lebanon.

And I think this is the biggest question right now, because it seems that what happens in Lebanon will be very much intertwined with the fate of the negotiation in the first place.

CHURCH: And of course, President Trump now says that the talks with Iran are continuing at a rapid pace, and he thinks that a deal could be reached over the next week. How achievable do you think that is, given what we know so far, and both sides asking for changes to the actual text?

BASSIRI TABRIZI: Well, I think to be fair, we have been hearing the same kind of line from President Trump for quite a while. Now, the ceasefire has been in place for almost two months, and negotiation have been taking place on and off for pretty much the same amount of time, and multiple times we have heard President Trump saying that we are nearly there with a deal, and yet we aren't.

I think, as I said, like the details are the key, and until these are not sketched out, it's very difficult to say whether we are going actually to see a success. What is clear is that President Trump doesn't want a military resumption of the conflict with the -- with Iran, and I think while Iran seems more committed to respond to any military attack should that happen, that seems to be pretty much the same.

So, I think this is what is really promising, that both sides, so far, besides some, you know, occasional clash, military clash, even yesterday, they largely do not want to go back to what was before the ceasefire took place, so I think, while the negotiation could drag on for quite a while, I think this is what indicates that the resumption of conflict at the moment does not seem to be in NATO party's interest.

CHURCH: And we did talk about that heated conversation on the phone, where does this leave the relationship between Trump and Netanyahu, and how likely is it that the U.S. president will be able to continue to rein in Israel's Prime Minister, as you refer to there, and get him to stop striking southern Lebanon to keep the deal with Iran on track?

BASSIRI TABRIZI: Look on multiple occasions, President Trump has managed to reign in Bibi. I think the question is what is going to happen next, and that is, you know, a big question. Nobody knows for how long this capability from President Trump will remain, but I think there is going to be increasing pressure from President Trump to push Netanyahu to refrain from this operation.

However, I also feel that what has been transpiring in the tax of access report does not necessarily mean that they are at odds completely with each other. That Trump and Netanyahu are at odds with each other. I think there is always, you know, a private version of the story and a public version of the story. It is in Trump's interest to depict his role as one of a refrainer, but at the same time we also saw in multiple occasions that President Trump has endorsed behind the scene Israeli policies, particularly vis-a-vis Iran. So, that also has to be taken into account.

I think the Lebanon context plays very much a role when it comes to, as I said, the fact that Trump does not seem to go back to a military confrontation with Iran, so as much as he's not interested in refraining Israel from attacking, it is interesting in continuing this negotiation process with Iran. This is the underlying condition here (INAUDIBLE).

[02:15:10]

CHURCH: And we'll wait to hear from Iran, of course, on this. Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi in Abu Dhabi. Many thanks for joining us. Appreciate it.

BASSIRI TABRIZI: Thank you.

CHURCH: Still to come, amid protest outside a migrant detention center in New Jersey, one of the demonstrators is now facing federal charges. We will have the details just ahead.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. A 27-year-old Brooklyn man is facing federal charges related to his involvement in protests outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Nicholas Matthew Scelfo allegedly threatened to assault and murder the ICE officer and his family. According to a complaint, the same ICE officer had hit Scelfo twice in the leg with a baton during a physical altercation. The demonstrators are protesting what they describe as inhumane conditions inside the facility. The Department of Homeland Security has denied those allegations.

[02:20:38]

New U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is criticizing some anti-ICE protesters. CNN's Sherrell Hubbard has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHERRELL HUBBARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After a weekend of clashes between law enforcement officials and protesters near a New Jersey immigration detention center. The Homeland Security secretary is laying down the law.

MARKWAYNE MULLIN, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: If you verbally assault our officers, if you -- if you attack our vehicles, if you attack our property, if you attack the person themselves, we will arrest you.

HUBBARD (voice-over): Despite a nightly curfew enacted by Newark's mayor on Sunday, the New Jersey Attorney General says several protesters were arrested after refusing to leave once the curfew began. Anti-ICE protesters have alleged for months that detainees inside Delaney Hall, a 1000 bed privately owned facility are subjected to inhumane conditions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You still have to treat people like humans, even if they are not originally from here. None of us are.

HUBBARD (voice-over): To reduce tensions, the facility's operator painted yellow lines on the sidewalk and posted private property and no trespassing signs outside the main entry points. Meanwhile, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill announced a so-called

peaceful protected protest zone just outside the facility. New Jersey State Police are assisting ICE agents with public safety operations outside Delaney Hall, the state's largest ICE detention facility.

MULLIN: When you spit on an officer, when you put hands on officers, when you touch our vehicles, we have zero tolerance.

HUBBARD (voice-over): I'm Sherrell Hubbard reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Talks between the U.S. and Iran were called off, but are now back on again. How the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is impacting efforts to extend the cease fire with Tehran. Back with that and more in just a moment.

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[02:27:13]

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Let's get you up to date on one of our top stories. A regional source says talks between the U.S. and Iran are back on track. Iranian media reported negotiations were called off because of Israel's continued attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, but Israel apparently agreed to postpone strikes on Beirut after a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

CNN's Oren Lieberman has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMAN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: It was on Monday morning that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister said that Israel would renew its strikes in Beirut, specifically in the Dahiyeh neighborhood, considered a Hezbollah stronghold, after increased Hezbollah rocket and drone fire against Israeli forces, and into northern Israel.

Several hours later, we saw an evacuation warning for the Dahiyeh neighborhood from the Israeli military. What we didn't see during that time and into Monday night was an actual Israeli attack in Dahiyeh or in Beirut. Israel has only struck Beirut twice since the cease fire went into effect in April, targeting two senior Hezbollah commanders there. Other than that, it's been off limits under pressure from the Trump administration.

We did see on Monday, according to Lebanese state media, an Israeli strike in the city of Tyre near a hospital that killed two people, but Beirut was not attacked. Then on Monday, President Donald Trump said he had spoken to Netanyahu and he had spoken through representatives to Hezbollah and effectively declared a cease fire. On social media, he said, through highly placed representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop, that Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel. Now, Trump has stopped wars that Israel has been part of in the past,

and that includes in Gaza, Lebanon, and last June's war with Iran, known as the 12 day war. It seems he. May have done it again, but of course, this is still all very new, and we need to see how these play out. We have seen cease fires declared in name, and yet on the ground they hardly exist.

In fact, Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, was on the right-wing Channel 14 in Israel, saying there was no cease fire, and what Trump announced only prevented Israel from striking Beirut, so we need to see first how Israel interprets this, and then how this plays out, how Hezbollah responds as well.

But it is a major and unilateral, to some extent, declaration from Trump himself that there would be an effective cease fire once again, and this all comes as the US is set to host ambassadors from Israel and Lebanon for what would be the fourth round of direct talks between the two countries, as the White House and has Trump himself are still trying to get a much broader, effective ceasefire agreement.

Oren Lieberman, CNN, in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:30:00]

CHURCH: Israel's parliament has advanced a bill calling for early elections, although no date has been set. Lawmakers voted unanimously to pass the measure early Tuesday. The bill still needs to pass two more readings before it becomes law and formally dissolves the Knesset.

Prime Minister Netanyahu's coalition partner pushed the measure over the Knesset's failure to codify military exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews. The elections are expected between early September and mid- October.

Well, it could be anyone's race heading into California's gubernatorial primary election, according to a recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California. A clear frontrunner has yet to emerge as voters prepare for a competitive ballot on Tuesday. The top- two candidates will advance regardless of party.

On the Republican side, an endorsement from President Trump appears to be lifting Steve Hilton into striking distance. Meanwhile, Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer are both looking to consolidate their party's support. Take a listen to some of the ways they're differentiating themselves to voters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM STEYER, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: You're right. My first name for the last year has been billionaire, and a lot of people are very offended by it, and I understand that. I'll the only billionaire on the ballot, but not the only billionaire in the race because there are a lot of billionaires and think they know how to make this race turn out the way they want.

XAVIER BECERRA, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: We are not going to let a billionaire or Trump's hand-picked candidate take over this state. We are not going to let them buy an election. And we are not going to step aside while they dismantle the dream my mother and my father believed in when they came to California with those $12.

STEVE HILTON, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: You've seen Tom Steyer spend a lot of money on this race, nearly $220 million I think it is now. And so, it's basically a three-horse race for two slots.

I think that we will make it because, actually, the big number that I pay attention to, and I think which is why we'll get change in November, is that there's a majority of Californians who think we need change. We've had 16 years now of Democrats running everything in California, and the results are just pretty disappointing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Los Angeles residents will also cast their votes for their next mayor on Tuesday. Fourteen people are on the ballot, including current mayor, Karen Bass. She's one of three frontrunners in an incredibly tight race. The others leading the polls are City Council Member Nithya Raman and former reality show star, Spencer Pratt.

CNN's Elex Michaelson shows us the last moments of the campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The candidates making their last-minute pitches.

KAREN BASS, (D) MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES, CANDIDATE FOR LOS ANGELES MAYOR: No time for amateurs.

NITHYA RAMAN, (R) CANDIDATE FOR LOS ANGELES MAYOR: My plan involves ensuring real accountability and real results.

SPENCER PRATT, (I) CANDIDATE FOR LOS ANGELES MAYOR: My opponents are the reason the city is failing.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): The race to lead America's second largest city is tight, with an unlikely candidate that's propelled the race into the national spotlight.

PRATT: This is where I live.

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST OF "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!," ABC NEWS: You think this guy wants to sit through City Council meetings all day?

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Incumbent L.A. Mayor, Karen Bass, is facing challengers from her left and her right, including City Council member Nithya Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, and Spencer Pratt, a registered Republican previously known as a reality TV villain. MICHAELSON: The mayor's race is officially non-partisan, meaning the candidate's party identification is not listed on the ballot. If no candidate gets over 50 percent in Tuesday's election, the top-two vote getters will face off in November.

RAMAN: This is a wide open race.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): A U.C. Berkeley-L.A. Times poll shows a close contest between Bass, Raman and Pratt. I recently sat down with all three.

MICHAELSON: If you had to pick one word that separates you from your opponents in this race, what is that?

RAMAN: Courage.

PRATT: Truth.

BASS: Experience. Collaboration. I'm sorry, I had to throw in another.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): The 2025 Palisades Fire still looms large, where 12 people died and nearly 7,000 structures burned, including Pratt's home.

PRATT: If they didn't burn my house down, I wouldn't be running for mayor.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): At the time of the fire, Mayor Bass was in Ghana.

BASS: It was a horrible, horrible moment in my life.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Despite days of high wind warnings forecast for L.A.

BASS: The point is, I wasn't here when my city needed me, and that is a profound regret.

PRATT: Oh, I was in Ghana, oopsie daisies. Like, no, you should have resigned.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Raman says she decided at the last moment to challenge Bass, in part due to the city's response to homelessness.

RAMAN: I share the frustration that I see across the city, that so many Angelenos are feeling right now.

MICHAELSON: When you talked to Jake Tapper in 2023, you said that your goal was to end street homelessness in L.A. by 2026. How were you so off?

BASS: I didn't anticipate some of the bureaucratic barriers that I would experience.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): For the last two years, the mayor's office reports L.A.'s homeless count has shown a decline.

[02:35:00]

Last year's count reported a roughly 18 percent decrease in street homelessness since before she took office.

Pratt wants to build a facility outside of L.A. and require L.A.'s homeless to go there for drug treatment.

PRATT: It's going to be somewhere where people will go and they go, thank God for Spencer. This is the greatest thing in the United States of America.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Pratt's direct-to-camera social media videos.

PRATT: And we need change.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): And A.I. clips created by his supporters are redefining L.A.'s political norms. In one A.I.-generated fan video, Pratt is Batman, Mayor Bass is the Joker, and residents are throwing tomatoes at her.

BASS: His social media is now taking on a violent turn.

PRATT: Coming from the lady who allowed 12 people to burn.

RAMAN: I don't want this injected into my politics, and I hope Angelenos stand up on June 2nd and reject it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON (on camera): Voting wraps up at voting centers like this one Tuesday at 8 p.m., but it could be a while before we know what happens. Counting in Los Angeles can take up to three weeks.

Elex Michaelson, CNN, Los Angeles.

CHURCH: And we'll be covering key primary races across the U.S. Our coverage starts Tuesday, right here on CNN and on the CNN app.

Still to come, cases of Ebola continue to rise in parts of Africa. I'll speak with a representative from Doctors Without Borders about the group's response to the outbreak and what more needs to be done.

Back with that in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:41:09]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. In the coming hours, Kenya's high court is expected to hear more arguments on whether an Ebola quarantine facility will be allowed to open in partnership with the United States. A judge previously barred that arrangement pending a legal challenge, but the Kenyan government is still moving forward with those plans.

The move has prompted outrage in the area near the proposed site of the facility. Crowds gathered to protest on Monday, burning tires and blocking roads with demonstrations. Residents say they're angry with officials for even entertaining the idea.

The recent outbreak of Ebola has been largely concentrated in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the World Health Organization reporting at least 43 confirmed deaths in the DRC and Uganda. One of the medical organizations responding to the outbreak is Medecins Sans Frontieres or Doctors Without Borders. But the group says the overall response so far remains too limited for the scale and severity of the outbreak.

The organization's deputy director of operations says there has never been an Ebola outbreak that's recorded so many cases so soon after its declaration. And while cases continue to rise, multiple issues are said to be restricting vital medical supplies and personnel.

So let's bring in Ewald Stals, country representative for Medecins Sans Frontieres in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And he joins us live from Kinshasa. Thank you so much for talking with us.

EWALD STALS, MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES REPRESENTATIVE IN DRC: Thank you very much.

CHURCH: So how important is it that the head of the World Health Organization is currently in the DRC at a time when this particular strain of the Ebola virus is spreading rapidly? And how much hope does it give you that this outbreak can be brought under control?

STALS: Well, it's very important, I think, that the head of WHO is in country. It's a very strong message that he and this organization and we are taking this outbreak very serious. It's a very complex one. So I hope his presence will help convince people to speed up things.

CHURCH: And your deputy director of Medecins Sans Frontieres says that an Ebola outbreak has never recorded so many cases so soon after its declaration. That is alarming and makes the race to contain and control this outbreak ever more critical. So what are the challenges involved in containing this outbreak and how do you do that?

STALS: Well, we have to do a lot of things simultaneously, all at the same time. The priority for the moment now is increasing the testing. We still do not have a full picture of what is going on. And you can only get that by testing all the suspect cases, so that you can either confirm and take them and start treating them or you discharge them because they have another disease. But we do not know that.

So we are still having too many, what we call, suspect cases which are not -- where we cannot move ahead for. So testing for the moment is top priority.

CHURCH: And I wanted to talk to you about that because unlike previous Ebola outbreaks, this particular strain has no approved vaccines or treatments, and it is difficult to diagnose due to limited testing capacity. How long will it take to get the vaccine, the treatments and of course, the testing that is needed and the equipment that you need for that?

[02:45:00]

STALS: Well, to get the vaccine, specialists are working on potential candidates, but that will take months for we even get there -- for even we get an experimental vaccine. The same for the treatments. There are some candidates, there are some tests done, but it's very preliminary and this will also take months.

The fact is that most of the Ebola outbreaks before have always been the Zaire virus and the Zaire version, and so all the organizations including us, we are much better prepared for that particular kind, but this one is different.

It's only the third outbreak of this particular virus in history. So there's very little research done because it was not so -- it was not the priority. The other one was the priority because there's more outbreaks of that one.

CHURCH: And your organization has said and you mentioned it here that nobody knows the true scale and severity of this outbreak. How daunting is that reality? And what's your biggest concern right now?

STALS: Well, the biggest concern is that as we do not have the full picture, we do have the feeling that the virus is still ahead of us. We need to catch up. Before we can even consider to start saying like, OK, it's in control or OK, we are starting to get a hand on it and we are starting to improve the situation. We need to catch up but we haven't catch up yet. So we are still lacking behind.

And if you see the amount of new cases every day, I think it's only since yesterday that the testing capacity is more or less now, at least in Bunia, more or less on par with the amount of new cases that are coming in.

But all the backlog, all the history and all the cases we still haven't found, we need to get a better grip on it.

CHURCH: And how long do you think it would take to catch up as you say?

STALS: Well, that depends on the logistics. How fast can we get material in? How fast can we get people in? And that is still very problematic too. There's very little ways to fly in because there's only actually United Nations has one plane making rotations, but it's a very small plane. And so it's very difficult to get people in and goods. So that's hampering.

Administrative procedures, we have to speed up administrative procedures and also, of course, money. This is a very costly operation. So all the organizations need extra funding to make sure that they can get all the goods and can get all the people in to help.

CHURCH: Ewald Stals, thank you so much for joining us and for all the work that you're doing there. Appreciate it.

STALS: Thank you very much.

CHURCH: Of course. Well, after a short break, a type of hotel popular in Japan is expanding its reach. We go inside the world's largest capsule hotel and ask visitors to London what they think of the close quarters. Back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:50:53]

CHURCH: London is known as one of the most expensive cities in the world, and accommodation does not come cheap. So lodging for just $40 a night is bound to appeal to many travelers willing to sacrifice space for savings. CNN's Barry Neild found out what it's like to stay in a capsule hotel.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARRY NEILD, CNN GLOBAL TRAVEL EDITOR: This is the extent of it. Walls here. Ceiling here. And there is really not a great deal of space.

NEILD (voice-over): That's me. About to sleep in a 7.3 by 3.3 feet square box. One of almost a thousand that make up the world's largest capsule hotel here in central London. I'm staying here as I have an early flight the next day. And with most hotels around here being quite pricey, for just 30 pounds or $40, I've decided to downsize for the night.

So what's it like?

NEILD: I mean, it's quiet. The mattress, it's OK. It's comfy enough. The sheets are Egyptian cotton.

NEILD (voice-over): Capsule hotels originated in Japan in the 1970s, but are now popping up all over the world, offering sleeping pods for commuters and travelers who want the privacy of their own room, but are on a very limited budget.

Claiming to redefine the hostel experience, this hotel offers individual capsules, or cocoons as they call them, which really are just designed for sleeping. All other amenities are either shared or available at an extra cost, like storage for larger luggage.

NEILD: It is quite warm, really hard to move around and claustrophobic, but if you just want to sleep, it's probably just OK. Let's see.

I've had a really bad night's sleep, bumping into my bag at the bottom of the bed, clunks and things, and at times a sort of mild sense of rising panic, probably something to do with being stuck in a tiny box, surrounded by a thousand other tiny boxes, right in the heart of London. So I've had a shower, I've checked out, and actually I'm feeling not too bad. I've certainly had worse night's sleep for more money, and for 30 pounds in the centre of London, that's actually quite a bargain.

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CHURCH: It is a bargain, but very cosy.

Archaeologists have recovered sunken treasure from a recently discovered 18th century shipwreck off the coast of Norway. The Norwegian Maritime Museum says it includes Chinese porcelain and European goods, including goblets, textiles and chandelier parts. Officials believe the ship sank around the mid-1700s, but don't know its origin or where it was headed.

Amy Sherald is an American painter who rose to fame for her iconic portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama. Her work captures everyday Black Americans. CNN's Linda Kincaid tours the exhibition.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The American Sublime exhibition at Atlanta's High Museum marks the final stop of a national tour. It's both a homecoming and a statement, according to curator Angelica Arbalaez.

KINKADE: Atlanta was where Amy Sherald's artistic career took hold, right? What does it mean to bring the national tour back here?

ANGELICA ARBALAEZ, ASSISTANT CURATOR, HIGH MUSEUM OF ART: Atlanta is very proud of her. Georgia is very proud of her. She was born in Columbus, Georgia. She studied at Clark Atlanta University in 1997, so this is where it all began, and to have it end where it all began is really special.

KINKADE (voice-over): Amy Sherald's most famous work to date is her portrait of former First Lady, Michelle Obama.

KINKADE: Why do you think this Michelle Obama portrait resonated so powerfully across America?

ARBALAEZ: I mean, this portrait represented a moment of pride and celebration for many Americans. Mrs. Obama was the first Black First Lady, and I think for many people this was a commemoration.

KINKADE: And how did this change the conversation around political portraits?

ARBALAEZ: There's always kind of a formalness to them, and with this portrait, Amy Sherald and Mrs. Obama had many conversations about how can we pose -- how can the pose exhibit a sense of openness, of quiet confidence?

[02:55:00] KINKADE (voice-over): The exhibition stretches far beyond famous faces. Sherald's work centers Black Americans and marginalized communities in spaces where they have historically been overlooked, excluded, or stereotyped.

ARBALAEZ: Amy Sherald has said many times that images can change the world and I think by that she means that who gets represented in those images, how those images circulate, has an impact.

KINKADE (voice-over): Sherald's painting of a re-imagined Statue of Liberty sparked debate about identity, inclusion, and belonging in America.

ARBALAEZ: With this portrait that you see here titled 'Transforming Liberty,' Amy Sherald worked with another artist named Arewa Basit who is a trans-femme.

KINKADE: But due to Amy Sherald's way of pushing the boundaries, it meant that one stop on this tour didn't happen, right?

ARBALAEZ: That is true, yes.

KINKADE: What made this so controversial?

ARBALAEZ: Amy is trying to say or actually kind of call into question, is this claim of freedom actually true? Does it actually represent all people? And if it doesn't, it should.

KINKADE (voice-over): But the curator says Sherald's paintings resist reducing people to political symbols. Instead, the work focuses on humanity.

This portrait of Breonna Taylor, commissioned by Vanity Fair, transforms a headline about a medical worker killed in her home by police into a human presence, asking viewers not simply to remember Taylor's death, but to recognize her life.

ARBALAEZ: Amy Sherald was very thoughtful about how to approach painting someone who was no longer with us, and that involved speaking to a lot of friends and loved ones. You see it in this very beautiful dress that she's wearing, which was designed by Jasmine Elder, an Atlanta-based designer.

You see this in the engagement ring that Breonna is wearing on her hand just down here. That was meant to honor the love between her and her partner that was never able to be fully realized.

KINKADE: So this is history re-imagined, right?

ARBALAEZ: I think with this work, Amy was thinking about this iconic moment in American photo history. The image that she is referencing is very famous of a sailor kissing a woman after the announcement of the end of World War II. And I think by recasting this iconic moment, thinking about how Black Americans were involved in war efforts, but also representations of love. KINKADE: For many visitors here, the experience is less about biography and more about recognition. Seeing everyday people elevated into portraits fit for a museum.

Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Brilliant work there. Thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. "CNN Newsroom" with Polo Sandoval is next, after a short break. Stay with us.

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