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Trump suggests U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Still In Place Despite Strikes; Second Day Of "Putin's Davos" Underway In St. Petersburg; U.S. Government Watchdogs Begin Iran War Oversight; Abusive Passengers Could Be Blacklisted From All Airlines Under New U.K. Government Proposal; CBS News Fires "60 Minutes" Correspondent Scott Pelley After Clash With New Producer; NYPD Investigate Mysterious Cases Of People Coming Out Of Manholes. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired June 04, 2026 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Iran's foreign minister said on Wednesday that there's been no significant progress in the talks over the past few days and that there is no formal negotiation process, just some messages exchanged.

But in Washington, U.S. President Trump says that his administration is negotiating a very powerful deal with Iran and that the talks are going, quote, very well. And the last hour I spoke with retired Royal Navy Commander Tom Sharpe and I asked the commander what kind of support the U.S. is receiving from allies like NATO as they try to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

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TOM SHARPE OBE, RETIRED ROYAL NAVY COMMANDER: So long as Iran continue their intention of contesting the strait through violence, then I don't think there's anything the combined local, regional, allied might can do. The fact that the U.S. Navy aren't in there right now with their warships operating day in, day out suggests that the risk is still too high. And the French task group that's heading that way with the British ship HMS Dragon attached to it is formidable. But it's not enough to force the strait.

For the strait to reopen, that requires a shift in mindset from, from Iran. Now when that happens, if that happens, and hopefully it does, although I'm, you know, I'm nervous about it. But when it does, then all these other ships can help and they can help with the assurance piece and they can help clear ships because there's thousands of anchor now and either side and that will need to be coordinated. So there is work to be done. But it is -- it is dependent on Iran saying, okay, we're not going to shoot anymore.

SANDOVAL: We've seen some of those aerial attacks from U.S. forces specifically going after Iranian targets for months now. So bearing that in mind, Commander, at this point in the war, what is your understanding of Iran's capabilities on and near the strait and what kind of assets does the U.S. maintain in the region? You mentioned those Navy warships just a little while ago.

SHARPE: So Iran has significant capabilities remaining in the air, surface and subsurface domain. They've still got drones, they've still got missiles, they've still got fast attack craft. They've got the potential to use mines. I still don't think they have, but we can come back to that.

So they -- they've got threats, the ability to exert threats in all three of these war fighting domains, as we would call them. And the problem is it doesn't really matter if it's down, if that's at 50 percent of what it was at the start or if it's at 2 percent. What matters is that they still retain the ability to do it.

Now the U.S. has significant capabilities to degrade these things. We've seen it, as you say, we've seen it over the months. They've got two carrier strike groups that -- that is the equivalent of most countries air forces if not more. They've got the USS Tripoli which is an amphibious ready ship that they've got nuclear submarines. I mean it is still a formidable fighting force.

And then whatever Israel send in over the top if the time comes to re escalate. But this is the problem. It doesn't matter how formidable it is. You can't write that threat down to zero. It's virtually impossible because Iran has configured themselves and over many decades to make it impossible. And that's why we're caught in the trap we're in.

So you can be as impressive as you like, your technology, your strike rate, your speed of speed of attack can be as impressive as the Americans undoubtedly is. And it doesn't change the overall metric which is Iran able to exert pressure through violence. That means that shipping goes. Do you know what? We'll just -- we'll just wait a few more days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: The second day of what's been tout is touted as Russia's premier economic event is underway. And despite a symbolic slight slap in the face from Ukraine just hours before it started, Ukrainian drones rained down on St. Petersburg overnight into Wednesday, striking this major oil terminal.

The forum, often called Putin's Davos, is an annual event showcasing the Russian President's home city. Ukraine says that another target was a Russian warship in dry dock near St. Petersburg. The Kremlin later threatened with what it called systematic responses to those strikes. But Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that it's Russia that should brace for more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): They must know that if they use drones and missiles against us, we will do the same. And it is only a matter of time before we can increase the scale of our responses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: CNN's Nada Bashir is monitoring the events and she joins me from London. Nada, it's great to see you. I wonder if you could tell us more about this Ukrainian drone strike and also these just remarkable images where you see these plums of smoke rising from an event that the Russian President was hoping to showcase.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Seen a real ramping up of Ukraine and clearly in this most latest -- quite staggering social media video.

SANDOVAL: All right now it sounds like we have some audio issues. Unfortunately we can't hear you. We're going to see if we could sort these out and hopefully get back to you before the end of the hour. But our thanks to Nada Bashir again. She continues to follow the situation there out of St. Petersburg.

People who cause disruptions on flights, they may soon face a rude awakening. Finding Find out how officials in the U.K. are planning to handle unruly passengers. Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back.

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[04:38:39]

SANDOVAL: U.S. government watchdogs are starting a joint review of the war with Iran after deciding that the conflict has surpassed the legal benchmark of 60 days. CNN national security correspondent Natasha Bertrand reports from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The top watchdogs for the Pentagon, State Department and USAID have launched a joint review of the U.S. war with Iran, announcing on Wednesday that they're mandated by law to probe overseas military operations that exceed state 60 days.

That announcement is significant because it indicates that the inspectors general believe that legally the war has lasted more than 60 days from its commencement on February 28. Under the War Powers Act, the president is prohibited from keeping U.S. troops in active hostilities for more than 60 days without congressional approval.

The administration never tried to get that authorization for Operation Epic Fury, which is the name the U.S. gave to its military campaign against Iran.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, though, said last month that it was his understanding that the 60-day clock on the war, quote, reset when President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire in April. But just days later, on May 12th, the Pentagon's inspector general was appointed by the chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency to be the lead inspector general for Operation Epic Fury, according to his office.

[04:40:00] Hegseth's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on that discrepancy. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said just this week that the United States war with Iran is, quote, over, even though the U.S. and Iran have continued to trade missile and drone attacks over the last several days. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Natasha, thank you. Well, we've all seen it before. Hopefully just some videos and not in person. Unruly passengers unleashing havoc in flight. Well, the U.K. is now proposing a solution. Airline passengers who become this disruptive during flights could soon face bans. And that's part of a new proposal.

Officials are developing a plan for carriers to share information on unruly passengers so they could be banned from not just one, but all future flights on all airlines, potentially. Government officials are set to meet with carriers later this month to discuss the idea. So is this measure urgently needed? Discuss with Simon Calder, he's the travel correspondent at the Telegraph. He's joining me from London.

Simon, is wonderful to -- thank you so much for joining us.

SIMON CALDER, TRAVEL CORRESPONDENT, THE TELEGRAPH: Pleasure to be here. But a really important topic. And yes, if you look worldwide, the International Air Transport Association, representing airlines globally, says that there are incidents of what maybe you and I would call air rage, disruptive passengers happening 11 times a day, which clearly is a figure which is really alarming, partly for the airlines themselves and their crew, but also for hundreds of passengers on board a typical flight.

Because if somebody decides they are going to behave disruptively, it is extremely upsetting, and particularly if you happen to be on a flight with lots of families on board.

Unfortunately, in the U.K., we have seen an increasing number of cases of air rage where somebody has typically been drinking too much, they behave appallingly, there might be a diversion for that flight, they get banned by the airline from future travel. But the move here, the government is very keen to encourage the airlines to pool their intelligence so that if a particular individual has been responsible, diverting a flight, causing all kinds of mayhem, they will not be able to travel on any U.K. airline.

SANDOVAL: So essentially, if this proposal were to get enacted, were to become actual, you know, something that we could see in the future, then this would mean that passengers could potentially ban from all airlines. Because it's my understanding, as it is right now, a passenger band on one airline, they can still fly with somebody else?

CALDER: Oh, sure, yes. I mean, they can. And this actually happens quite often. If somebody, for example, behaves very badly on a flight from the U.K. to Spain, they may find that the airline says, right, you're not flying back with us. But that's very straightforward. They can just buy a ticket on another airline at the end of their trip. And this is very much just going to -- well, it's a combination of things.

First of all, to act as something of a deterrent, although, frankly, having seen some of this appalling behavior, people are not in any sense thinking straight when they are causing these problems, but also to reduce the chances that this could happen again. There is, however, a weapon which I don't think is used enough, which is that the airline can pursue the individual who causes, for instance, a diversion for the costs of that which aren't just the extra fuel, the extra time looking after passengers and so on.

This is running into tens of thousands of dollars already. But arguably, passengers themselves who are disrupted could pursue the individual. And I think if you had cases where clearly an individual behaves badly and is then faced with legal action for tens of thousands of dollars, that could be a more appropriate deterrent.

But ultimately, who knows, we may actually have to ban alcohol on some or all flights in order to reduce the incidence of these. Because though many of us, including me, greatly enjoy a modest drink on board a flight, if it is causing danger to the passengers, to the crew, then you do need to come up with ways of tackling it.

SANDOVAL: I enjoy a good glass of wine on my flight. But to your point, it often becomes a source of some of those tensions on board, eventually will unravel into some of the fights that we've seen that put passengers and crew potentially in danger.

[04:45:06]

Just considering this proposal, I mean, how likely is it to actually be instituted in the U.K. and do you see perhaps other countries also who have problems with unruly passengers? Do you see them perhaps considering such a measure?

CALDER: Well, I think if it is really going to be effective, then you would need to have a global database to prevent the worst offenders from traveling. But to your point about enjoying a drink, yes, maybe the solution is actually to look at each individual case because many of these involve people who have bought duty free alcohol at their departure airport and even though you are not supposed to, they are surreptitiously drinking the contents on the flight.

So therefore, even if the airline says you've had enough to drink, they are continuing to do so. And that, well, maybe Duty Free -- let's bring in Duty Free on arrival already happens in a number of places and that would mean that passengers were not able to kind of top up their alcohol intake with their own supplies.

SANDOVAL: Simon Calder, grateful for your reporting. We wish you safe and disruption free travels in your future. Thank you for your time.

Well, Scott Pelley is speaking out after being fired from "60 Minutes" coming up on CNN Newsroom. Hear what he says after -- hear how he describes what happened after clashing with his bosses over at CBS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:50:34]

SANDOVAL: Now to another shakeup at CBS 60 Minutes. Longtime correspondent Scott Pelley has been fired. His exit centers around a dispute with the new leadership at "60 Minutes" in CBS News that has been playing out publicly. More now from CNN's chief media analyst, Brian Stelter.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST (voice-over): CBS News is in crisis mode following Scott Pelley's firing. With CBS staffers and viewers wondering, is this about culture or politics?

SCOTT PELLEY, CBS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Those stories tonight on "60 Minutes."

STELTER (voice-over): Pelley says politics are at play, claiming the new owner of the network is apparently trying to, quote, curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration.

BARI WEISS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, CBS NEWS: I'm Bari Weiss, editor-in-chief of CBS News.

STELTER (voice-over): Weiss allies deny Pelley's charge. They say she's trying to reform the culture of "60 Minutes," a famously insular show that she believes needs to be dragged into the digital age. Last week, Weiss ousted several top producers and two correspondents amid her controversial efforts to overhaul the entire news division. Pelley shouted out one of his fired colleagues during a recent Emmy ceremony.

PELLEY: I see Sharon Alfonsi there in the audience.

STELTER (voice-over): And he was incensed by the firings days later. On Monday, he tore into new "60 Minutes" executive producer Nick Bilton, a former tech reporter with little TV experience, in front of the staff. Pelley depicted Bilton as unqualified for the job and said he'd never be welcome here. Pelley also accused Weiss, who was not in the room, of murdering "60 Minutes."

The comments leaked and became national news, even on CBS.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: According to CBS News, management efforts were made to see if both sides could reach common ground. Pelley met with senior management of CBS News last night, and no agreement could be reached. Pelley was then informed by "60 Minutes" executive producer Nick Bilton that CBS News and "60 Minutes" would have to part ways with Scott. He was terminated for cause.

STELTER (voice-over): In a letter justifying the firing, Bilton wrote that Pelley, quote, hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt. Pelley has no regrets. He says, quote, the leadership of "60 Minutes" is no longer recognizable. The principles I hold dear are gone, and so I must leave as well.

On Wednesday, he disputed Weiss's version of events, saying Weiss misled the staff when she said that CBS tried to, quote, find a way back and keep Pelley at the network.

STELTER: So Pelley's not going down without a fight. And he has lots of support from CBS News veterans who say the show does not need fixing in the first place. They point to the high ratings and the stacks of awards. They fear that this overhaul by Paramount is an attempt to appease President Trump. At the same time, Paramount needs Trump administration approval for its deal to buy CNN and the rest of Warner Brothers discovery.

My sources close to CBS News management reject that. They say this is not about politics. It's about culture change. Ultimately, viewers are the judges. Viewers get to decide if brands like CBS are living up to their storied legacies and valuable reputations. Brian Stelter, CNN, Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Here in New York, the NYPD is investigating at least two different incidents where people have been seen climbing down through manholes into the city's sewer system. I want to show you one of those instances where the group approaches a manhole in the middle of the street and you see there they remove the COVID middle of the night. They then climb in and then one of those individuals pulls the manhole cover back over the opening.

Police right now they're trying to figure out a motive here. They're not sure if they're just thrill seekers or maybe scavengers. If found, they could be charged with trespassing. City officials say that the areas identified in video have been checked and determined that there was no threat to public safety.

Now to the NBA Finals, where game one definitely lived up to the hype of fans as the New York Knicks won a back and forth battle against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Knicks, they've extended a playoff win streak to 12 games, now the second longest in league history. The Spurs will look to even the series in game two, which is set for Friday in San Antonio. CNN's Omar Jimenez joins some Knicks fans outside Madison Square Garden.

[04:55:00]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the reaction after a Game 1 win in the NBA Finals for the New York Knicks. We have been outside Madison Square Garden throughout all of this. And look, if you doubt any of the enthusiasm even for an away game for the Knicks, look no further than the crowd that gathered over the course of this game.

But I want to show you what we've been seeing over the course of this as a celebration really begins here in New York City. It's the beginning of a long series. You know that if you're a basketball fan. But you can't tell the people here who have been chanting Knicks in 4 for hours.

I was talking to them beforehand. They were saying Knicks in four beforehand, too. So this is just the beginning. They got a game one. It came down to a back and forth game throughout all of it. But the excitement in New York City is the chance to do something they have not done in over five decades now that they are back in a place they have not been in more than two decades. So moving forward, like we said, is a long series. But the enthusiasm here, it is not going anywhere.

It's not going anywhere. You can't go far. This is New York City. Back to you guys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And that's the last time we saw Omar Jimenez. Omar, thank you so much for that live report from a sea of Knicks fans. The biggest sporting event on earth it is now just a week away, the opening match of the FIFA World Cup. It kicks off on Thursday, June 11th in Mexico City.

But momentum is building all over North America as teams start arriving. A Moroccan national team landing here in the area in Newark. Morocco did very well in the last World cup in Qatar, becoming the first African and first Arab team to reach a semifinal.

Meanwhile, fans catching a glimpse of the silverware. In New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani was on hand for the unveiling of the trophy. The New York, New Jersey area expects to host the final. And at an aquarium down in Rio de Janeiro, a shark picked a can displaying the Brazilian flag, which fans are taking as a sign that Brazil will triumph over Morocco.

Thank you so much for watching as we leave you with CNN Headline Express.

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