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Connect the World

Trump to Convene Cabinet Amid Pressure Over Iran War; UK, Poland Sign Defense Treaty Against Russian Aggression; Chinese Dissident Flees to South Korea by Inflatable Boat; Oil Slides as Market Bets on U.S.-Iran Peace Deal; Ticket Prices Hit All-time High as Knicks Head to NBA Finals. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired May 27, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Hello, and welcome to "Connect the World". I'm Lynda Kinkade, in for Becky Anderson. I want to get

straight to our breaking news this hour. Iranian state television is reporting that, according to a draft memo, the U.S. will end its blockade

of Iran's ports.

And in return, Iran will restore the number of commercial ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels soon. CNN's Oren Liebermann

joins us now from Jerusalem with the latest. Oren, what are you learning from about this draft memo being reported on Iranian state television?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Lynda, this is our first sense of what's in the memorandum of understanding that's being worked on between

the U.S. and Iran to try to get to a ceasefire agreement. It is important to note that this information comes from Iranian state television, so we

don't yet have confirmation of this from the U.S. side.

And crucially, even Iranian state television says this isn't finalized yet, but it does include a lot of what the U.S. is looking for in terms of the

Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state television says the Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, calls for the U.S. to lift its blockade of Iranian

ports and for U.S. military forces to withdraw from the vicinity of Iran.

And in exchange Iran would open the Strait of Hormuz and ensure that traffic through the crucial waterway is back to pre-war levels within one

month, all that according to Iranian state television. Now that's not it, in terms of monitoring the flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz,

through which some 1/5 of the world's water flows, sorry, through which 1/5 of the world's crude oil flows.

It would be up to Iran working with Oman to monitor and control that traffic, according to Iranian state television. That, in and of itself, may

be unacceptable to the U.S., because that, in a way, leaves the Strait of Hormuz under partial Iranian sovereignty, and that, of course, has been a

red line for the U.S.

Now, Iranian state TV says this is still in the works, it's still being negotiated, and it's not finalized. But Pakistan is mediating between the

U.S. and Iran to try to get to some sort of agreement here. Now, there's a lot we don't know here. According to Iranian state television, it calls for

the U.S. to withdraw forces from the vicinity of Iran.

What exactly does that mean? Iran has called for the U.S. to withdraw forces from the broader Middle East. I think that's clearly not going to

happen. So, a lot depends on how Iran defines its vicinity, and whether the U.S. would even see it as acceptable that Iran and Oman are left monitoring

and controlling traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

But this is a look at the MOU that's in the works here to try to get to a broader ceasefire agreement to end this war and to reopen the Strait of

Hormuz. Lynda, we have seen a trickle of traffic flowing through the strait. I believe there were about 24 ships, 25 ships that went through

yesterday. That's still a fraction of pre-war traffic.

KINKADE: And Oren, we know that the U.S. President is set to host a cabinet meeting discussing Iran in the coming hours. Do we know what exactly the

U.S. will accept, and who is negotiating on behalf of the U.S. right now?

LIEBERMANN: In the end, it's almost certainly simply up to President Donald Trump himself. What is he willing to accept as part of an agreement here?

Now the red lines he's drawn are no highly enriched uranium remaining in Iran, and trying to essentially end the nuclear program.

Now that's not in this. Iran has, through the means of this MOU and its other negotiations, pushed that off to a later phase of negotiations. It's

really up to Trump in terms of what he would accept. Pakistan has been mediating here. We've seen Vice President JD Vance be a part of this, as

well as envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

KINKADE: And in terms of the shipping going through the Strait of Hormuz right now, Iran has said that dozens of troops were able, ships were able

to transit through the Strait of Hormuz overnight. We also saw that recent escalation of U.S. strikes on Iran. Just explain for us what we know, what

has been verified in terms of traffic that is currently moving through that strait?

LIEBERMANN: Lynda, it's still a fraction of the pre-war levels, but it is more than we saw it during the war, when there were, you know, 01, or 2

ships going through on a daily basis, according to I'm sorry, according to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, they claim that 25 ships have passed

through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.

That's still a fraction of pre-war levels, but that is what the U.S. and Iran are trying to get to, to see if there is an arrangement that could let

that happen.

[09:05:00]

Iran still has a tremendous amount of influence and control about the Strait of Hormuz, so we'll see what they're willing to accept, and whether

the U.S. can get there.

KINKADE: Got a glass of water on hand there, Oren. I just want to ask you about the mediators that are working through negotiations right now. Qatar,

Pakistan, of course, have played a key role so far. Are they weighing in at all right now as we hear these leaks from both the Iranian state television

and the U.S. in regards to a draft understanding of a plan?

LIEBERMANN: I haven't seen a public statement from them. We'll certainly keep an eye out for them to see if they're able to push these sides closer

together. There has been some skepticism about whether they have the influence here and are able to put that sort of pressure on, but other

countries have also hopped in.

Qatar has tried to weigh in to push the sides towards an agreement. Still, it's not clear they can get there, but we'll see if this brings them close

enough that they're able to find a common ground.

KINKADE: All right, Oren Liebermann -- some water for now. We appreciate that breaking news update. We will try and get some reaction from the U.S.

shortly. Right now, the U.S. stock market in New York is opening in about 25 minutes, and it looks like an upbeat start to Wednesday as oil prices

continue to fall.

We will keep an eye on the numbers throughout the next two hours. Right now, you can see Brent crude below $100 a barrel at just over $95. I want

to turn now to Laos, where five of the seven people trapped for a week in a flooded underground cave have been found alive.

Specialist cave divers who have been searching for days say the five villages are safe, but remain stuck in the cave for now. Officials say they

will be given food and drink, as well as a physical assessment, as rescue teams work to come up with a plan to extricate them.

The dangerous search goes on for more than -- the dangerous search goes on for two other people who are still trapped. We will have more on that story

in the coming hour, but right now I want to get the latest from CNN's Will Ripley, who joins us from Taipei, Taiwan.

Good to see you, Will. So, this really is a miraculous story. Five of these people have been found. What do we know about how they were found,

especially after spending a week underground?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it's really extraordinary, Lynda. There are so many things about this story that are

just incredible, starting with the fact that they were able to establish an internet signal inside parts of this cave.

Now you're talking about 1000 feet underground, but the rescuers were able to post these videos within minutes of the actual discovery, and the

technology also allowed them to actually locate where these five villagers were, because they used a drone company that had a special radar that used

the radar to scan the inside of the cave.

And they were able to determine that there was an area that was somewhat elevated from the flooded-out entrance and exit to the tunnels with an air

pocket, and that's where they believe that these people, there were seven missing, now five have been located, two others still missing, but these

five people were able to breathe clean air, and the crews actually had helmets that allowed them to constantly monitor the air quality, the co-

levels in real time.

And they said the air quality was good, but getting to these trapped men was just an extraordinary, really herculean task, because the cave is so

narrow in some spots that rescuers described having to basically take off their equipment, exhale fully, and wiggle their way through, just to

continue proceeding through the pitch black, muddy water through these flooded tunnels to get to the area where they found these survivors.

This is an effort that's been going on for a week, and I want to play for you the moment when they realized that they have found that these villagers

are live underground. The man on the right there, hugging the Thai expert, is a Finnish cave rescue specialist named Mikko Paasi, who was helping lead

the search through these underground tunnels.

I just want to read for you a portion of a statement that he sent to CNN. It said the task so far has been far from easy and everybody involved has

done amazing work. Thank you to all the teams involved. He goes on to say this is only a brief relief, as the five survivors are still in the

terminal chamber, all healthy and in good spirits, but the extraction is still ahead, and it ain't going to be easy.

Just imagine trying to get people out, considering how difficult it was for these skilled experts to get in. Not to mention the fact, Lynda, that it's

monsoon season in Central Laos time of the year when rain storms happen almost every day, and they often pop up unexpectedly with very heavy rains.

[09:10:00]

That's the reason why the cave flooded so suddenly when these villagers went into the cave a week ago, and were unable to get out. You need

equipment and you need training to be able to navigate the flooded caverns, so it could still be quite some time that they actually have to survive

down there underground before they figure out a way to get them out safely, probably one at a time.

But at least now they're going to have food, they're going to have water, they'll have some medical evaluations done. Still don't know about the

other two and their status. So, we're still waiting for an update from official government sources about whether those other two people are also

OK or if they've been found yet.

But certainly, for the families of these five to see them on video, they might even be able to have an internet signal and be able to talk to some

of their loved ones pretty soon. It's quite remarkable, Lynda.

KINKADE: Yeah, really is such a huge relief, just that they've at least been located and can now get some food. Certainly, a difficult mission to

try and get them out of this cave now, but in terms of the other two that remain missing, what do we know about the efforts to reach them, and just

how difficult is it to get to the depths of that cave.

RIPLEY: Yeah, I don't want to speculate on the record about what I've been reading on social media, but there's a lot of speculation on Laos and Thai

social media about the status of the other two individuals. We're going to wait until we get an official update from the authorities, but you can

imagine the difficult conditions underground, and how difficult it would be to survive an ordeal such as this.

So, those details will be revealed in time, and I know that family members will need to be contacted and given updates about how their loved ones are

doing. As for the five survivors, we don't know a whole lot about them yet, about their identities. What we do know is that they are all from this

Xaysomboun province in Central Laos.

It's an area that is mountainous, very remote, covered with lush jungles, and it's known for gold. And we know that what these villagers were doing

is they were actually in there mining for gold. So, some of these tunnels are actually dug by hand, and yet you know others just kind of natural

cracks in the ground, extraordinarily narrow, very difficult.

And it's really remarkable that there they were able to find a spot where there's where there's enough air flow for them to survive for this long,

and obviously they were drinking the muddy water, now they're going to get them fresh water, but it's just, it's -- we'll probably learn more details

in the coming days about what that experience has been like for them.

We've been talking to the rescuers, you know, throughout the last days, and just hearing about what they've had to do, you know, not just the teams

that were swimming through the muddy water, but also teams that were searching from above, using ropes and rappelling down into parts of the

cave, trying to figure out where these people might be located.

These rescuers are really putting their own lives on the line as well. It's very dangerous work to go down in there, and with the constant risk of more

flooding from the monsoon rains. It's really touch and go, and it's still going to be touch and go over the next several days.

So as Mikko, the one of the lead rescuers, said, there's a moment to celebrate, but a very long and arduous task ahead to get these at least

five out safely and alive as they are now, and we still wait anxiously for word about the other two.

KINKADE: All right, Will Ripley for us in Taipei, Taiwan. Appreciate that update. Thanks so much. Well, Britain and Poland have signed a new treaty

to bolster cooperation against increasing Russian threats. Now, although the two already share close ties. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said

on Tuesday the new challenges Europe faces warrant an even stronger partnership.

Polish President Donald Tusk noted a significant part of the treaty focuses on cyber security. And it comes as the UK Spy Chief warns Britain and its

allies risk losing a cyber space conflict against Russia. CNN's Sebastian Shukla is across all of this and joins us now from Berlin.

Great to see you in what looks like a lovely day there in Berlin. So, this is not the first time the UK has tried to strengthen defense partnerships

across Europe. We've seen similar treaties with countries, including Germany, where you are, and France. What does this treaty look like?

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Yeah, good afternoon, Lynda. What we're seeing from this treaty is that it's really designed to deepen the

cooperation agreements in the military, defense, and security sectors between Warsaw and London. What that means is that the two nations will be

able to share their human intelligence, their expertise, to be able to develop things like new weapons systems, and also looking at things like

aerial, unmanned aerial vehicles, drones, and looking at defense systems as well, air defense systems.

This is not a new treaty, and certainly not something that the UK is coming to this from afresh.

[09:15:00]

We know that the UK. And we've seen here in Germany and in France that the UK has signed very similar defense and cooperation agreements, and the

point of them is to be able to 10 years on from Brexit, 10 years. I can't really believe that, Lynda, is to try to reestablish the UK's connections

and partnerships on the European continent.

But also, it's important to remember the context of which the UK and Europe as a whole is facing at the moment, with an increasing retrenchment we are

seeing from the U.S. Administration. The impetus is on European allies and European nations to step up in their own defense, to be able to stand up on

their own two feet, and not to rely on Washington always for support.

So, agreements like these are becoming more prevalent, particularly from London, but I also note between other European nations too. There are such

agreements between Berlin and Warsaw and Paris and Berlin. All of them are taking place. They're becoming almost a spider's web of connections.

And this latest agreement is supposed to be able to also show that the UK is taking adherence to what Donald Trump has said and is really standing up

for itself. But what I think is important here, Lynda, is what the UK Prime Minister is doing is taking a 30,000-foot view on the situation, but a

little bit more granularly and closer to home, GCHQ.

The UK is effectively signal intelligence services is issuing a slightly more nuanced and peaked message to the government and to the British

people, that cyber security is still a major problem and a race that they are likely losing against belligerent nations, such as Russia and China.

And the head of that GCHQ, that intelligence agency, is speaking today in a very notable location in Bletchley Park, the place where in the Second

World War signal intelligence agents managed to decrypt the Nazi Enigma machine, and what she's going to say today is that the UK is relentlessly -

- Russia is relentlessly targeting critical infrastructure, democratic processes, supply chains, and public trust.

And the message she wants to get across is that it's not just for governments to be able to stand up and take notice of these, but that there

must be discussions held in board rooms all the way down to the living rooms of regular British citizens. And we should not forget, Lynda, that

the UK is one of those nations that has seen very specific attacks, particularly by Russia, on people and Russian citizens and dissidents

living in London.

Alexander Litvinenko poisoned with a teapot at a British hotel, Alexei Skripal poisoned on a bench in Salisbury, and we've seen cyber-attacks and

hybrid gray zone attacks across the country and across the continent becoming more prevalent as Russia looks to try to push the boundary to

figure out where the defenses of these European allies really are.

So, I think that this agreement, whilst is a big watershed moment between the two nations, is also something and a signal of what we're seeing across

a broader idea and discussions happening between European capitals, Lynda.

KINKADE: All right, Sebastian Shukla for us in Berlin. Our thanks to you. Well, still to come, one man's daring mission across the Yellow Sea to

escape capture and reunite with his loved ones. We'll have that story next.

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[09:20:00]

KINKADE: Welcome back. More aid groups are warning that the Ebola virus outbreak in Eastern Africa is moving faster than the response. The

International Rescue Committee says that the rapidly escalating epidemic in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo could become the deadliest on

record without urgent international action.

Overcrowding, poor conditions, and limited supplies are all impacting attempts to contain the virus. More than 200 people have now died across

the DRC and Uganda, with more than 900 suspected cases identified. Larry Madowo is in Nairobi with the latest. Good to have you with us, Larry.

So, aid group are warning that this could become the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record. What specific factors are contributing to that level of

concern, and what's different this time?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The fear from the health care community, from aid workers, Lynda, is that the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

is coming into this outbreak more fragile and less prepared than the last outbreak in 2018 to 2020 and that killed 2000 people.

Now the DRC has fewer resources to fight it. This warning from the International Rescue Committee is especially powerful. It says that there

are three warning signs that tell people that this would be a much worse outbreak than any we have seen on record, and the three warning signs are

these.

One is that the outbreak appears to be spreading faster than the response, that is coupled with the fact that this place, where this outbreak has

taken place in Northeastern DRC, Nituri Province, is already in conflict, and displacement has left more than 100,000 people out of their homes, so

even finding them is difficult.

On top of that, the third warning sign from the IRC is that the global aid cuts have left the health care system hobbled. In the best of times, the

healthcare system in the DRC has been underinvested in and is in tatters. Add to that this current situation, you have the perfect storm, and that is

why aid workers, the international community, calling for concerted effort to surge critical medical supplies and personnel and equipment, so that

these people can get their response as quickly as possible.

Delays save lives, humanitarian workers say. And we're already seeing the warning from the World Health Organization that said that this pandemic

could be much larger. This epidemic could be much larger than we know, and we've seen some recent signs of that. Health workers who handled the body

at the end of March and died recently.

That is the other sign that this outbreak could already have been spreading within the community for weeks, possibly months, before it was detected and

confirmed, and therefore that means that people could be within the community all around the DRC or in the region who are at risk and they're

not aware of it, Lynda.

KINKADE: And Larry with the World Cup teams, staff, the fans beginning to travel to the Americas, and given the long incubation period of Ebola, some

21 days. What screening measures are being put into place right now to prevent further spread?

MADOWO: The United States and Canada have both announced travel bans for anybody from the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, or Uganda, even

though the Africa CDC, other public health experts say travel bans alone do not work, viruses do not have visas, and this World Cup is important to the

DRC.

They qualified for the first time in 52 years. Some fans, many fans from the DRC, will not be able to make that tournament, which begins in just a

couple of weeks, because that travel ban to the U.S. and Canada, that are both hosting, means that they just will not be -- out of the country long

enough to be in a quarantine period before they are allowed into the country, and that is the extra measure that holds back fans in the U.S. and

Canada.

You're seeing extra precautions, contact tracing, certain airports, for instance, it's just Washington, Dallas, and New York City, JFK, that

travelers who've been in the DRC, South Sudan, and Rwanda can go through, but these will still not stop the virus from spreading if it has already

gotten out there, which is why this response is necessary on the ground to stop the spread to cut the chain of transmission from the source, Lynda.

KINKADE: Anything else you can tell us about these discussions that the U.S. government is having to establish treatment facilities or you know,

systems within the African continent rather than bringing citizens back to the U.S. for treatment.

MADOWO: There's been some reporting that Kenya will be the location of a quarantine facility that Americans exposed to Ebola will be sent here to

the country until they've gotten their treatment, and they can be allowed back into the states.

[09:25:00]

We saw some Americans, one doctor who's currently receiving treatment in Berlin, another in the Czech Republic. But this plan, Kenya is not directly

confirming it, but it's saying in a short statement that any kind of plans will meet local laws and public health guidance and that Kenya has a lot of

experience in dealing with outbreaks like this, including Ebola.

The Kenyan experts were involved in the Sierra Leonean Ebola outbreak, and so there's a lot of expertise and experience here on the ground. There's

obviously some concern on both sides for the Americans that they would be sending people who are exposed to Ebola to an African country without the

right kind of facilities and equipment, Kenyans pushing back on that.

But here locally, Kenyans are also unhappy that people who are exposed to Ebola could spread to the community and being allowed to come into the

country. So, both governments have to deal with the public pressures locally about the optics of this looking not quite right.

And yet at the same time the health minister here in Kenya telling me that if they were to have this facility, it would be with the support of both

the U.S., the World Health Organization, the Africa CDC, with the local experts who have a lot of experience and many decades of dealing with

outbreaks like this.

KINKADE: All right, Larry Madowo for us in Kenya. Great to have you there for us. Thanks so much. Well, now to a daring and perilous escape. After

three failed attempts, a Chinese dissident has successfully completed a 30- hour crossing by sea to South Korea. He's trying to flee authorities and reach his loved ones. CNN's Ivan Watson has the story.

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A Chinese dissident is in South Korean custody after making a dangerous escape by sea from China to

the Korean coast. The dissident in question is 68-year-old Dong Guangping. And I spoke with a family friend and a fellow Chinese dissident based in

Canada who managed to speak to Dong by telephone, and this is what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHENG XUE, CHINESE ACTIVIST: He spent more than 30 hours to cross the sea, and he said, oh, I was almost passed out when I got here. He said, thanks

God, because he said also the engine of his rubber boat was broken at that time, and so it was very dangerous for him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Dong Guangping was originally a police officer from Henan Province who lost his job decades ago because he co-signed a letter that was

commemorating the 10th anniversary of the deadly 1989 crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square, and since then he's gotten in trouble and

been jailed for his human rights activism.

In 2015, he tried to flee China with his wife and daughter to Thailand and request asylum, but Thai authorities returned him forcibly to China, where

he ultimately spent more than three years in prison. At the time, I interviewed his wife, who had been granted asylum in Canada, and she

accused the Chinese government of kidnapping Dong.

He has made subsequent failed attempts to try to escape China, including trying to swim to an island off the Coast of Taiwan, where he lost his

bearings and was ultimately rescued by Chinese fishermen and returned to China. So now, after these repeated attempts and repeated jail sentences,

he's finally made it to the Korean Coast.

Now, journalists asked China's Foreign Ministry about this at a regular press briefing about Dong's case, and the officials there declined to

comment. South Korean authorities have confirmed to CNN that South Korean fishermen first spotted this small boat off of the coast and confirmed that

there was a Chinese man in his 60s that was on board.

His lawyer has confirmed his identity to us. The South Korean Coast Guard says that Dong is now arrested on suspicion of violating immigration law,

and his case will later be passed on to prosecutors. In 2023, there was another dramatic case of a different Chinese dissident who made a perilous

journey across the sea to Korea on a jet ski, at the time he was equipped with little more than a helmet, binoculars, a compass, and five cans full

of fuel. Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.

KINKADE: You are watching "Connect the World". We are moments away from the opening bell on Wall Street. Futures are in the green, and we're watching

oil prices drop on the hopes of a deal between the U.S. and Iran. Reminder that Iranian TV is reporting that details of a draft memo claiming Iran has

agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. ends its blockade of Iranian ports.

[09:30:00]

We're going to look at the numbers after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Let's see how the stocks are getting on at the open, as you can see, all in the green, but really not much change, pretty flat across the

board in early trading. No doubt markets remain hopeful about a U.S.-Iran peace deal. We're also keeping a close eye on oil markets.

Crude prices are falling as investors remain optimistic that a deal to end the Iran war is in sight. Let's get a look at how you can see crude oil

trading there at just under $90. And Brent crude, the global oil benchmark is down about 2.5 percent, it's just hovering around $95 a barrel, down

almost 4 percent.

Well, Donald Trump once again is weighing in on what is shaping up to be the biggest U.S. Senate race of the midterms. The president posting his

congratulations on social media today for Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate candidate who he backed in Texas. CNN projects that Paxton won the race in

a blowout, beating incumbent Senator John Cornyn.

With Paxton getting as much as 70 percent of the vote in some rural areas. Paxton is wasting no time turning his focus to November, where he will face

Democrat James Talarico.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN PAXTON, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE: Tonight is not the end of a campaign. Tonight is the beginning of the fight to preserve every value we

hold here. The future of Texas and the future of America is on the line, and I intend to do everything I can to expand our movement.

I've won three statewide elections because I know how critical it is for our party to come together, and that's what we must do now. Without a

shadow of a doubt, I will be the Democrats' number one target in November.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: We will have much more on this story in the next hour of "Connect the World". Well, President Trump is reporting another clean bill of health

after his latest physical exam at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He posted on Truth Social that everything checked out perfectly,

and he thanked the center's staff.

This is Trump's third physical since January of last year, when he became the oldest U.S. President ever inaugurated.

[09:35:00]

And it comes just a few weeks before his 80th birthday. The White House physician is expected to release a report of that exam in the next day or

two. NBA ticket prices are shattering records as the New York Knicks head to the finals for the first time since 1999.

Fans will be paying more than $3,400 a seat just to get in the door at Madison Square Garden for game three, that is 672 percent higher than the

cheapest ticket sold for game three of last year. CNN's Matt Egan spoke to my colleague Sara Sidner about the soaring cost after decades long wait to

see if the Knicks can get back to the promised land.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: The Knicks, I mean, obviously they are on fire right now. Maybe the only thing hotter than the team are the tickets

to go see them in the finals at Madison Square Garden. These prices are absolutely insane. So, let's just say you don't care where you sit, you

just want to get into the bill.

SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Nosebleeds, let's go.

EGAN: Nosebleeds, cheapest seats are now listening for $3,500 a piece on TickPick, that is almost eight times the price of the same game in last

year's NBA Finals in Oklahoma City. Just incredible. In fact, for $3,500 you could have gone to all seven games of last year's NBA Finals and still

had $200 left over for food and drinks.

Amazing, right? Now, that's just to get in. Let's say the average ticket. The average ticket price for the NBA Finals, we're talking about $4,500 at

Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks on track to be the most expensive NBA Finals game on record. Now, I went outside the garden, I talked to some

Knicks fans about these sky-high prices.

They are nuts. And I talked to one fan who told me he went to last round and he spent $500 a ticket to go see his Knicks. Listen to his reaction

when I told him the ticket prices for this round.

RAY CUENCA, KNICKS FAN: Damn, that's crazy.

EGAN: To get in the door.

CUENCA: Yeah, that's madness. I'm definitely not going to go as much as I love the Knicks. I can't afford those guys.

SUZETTE MEADE, KNICKS FAN: I think it's a once in a lifetime experience, and sometimes you got to do a little bit more in order to make that happen.

EGAN: Yeah.

MEADE: So, I would consider it. I think that these days, entertainment, sports, all of that, it really comes with a premium experience, and premium

experiences come at premium price tags.

EGAN: Now, speaking of premium experiences, let's say you want to sit near Celebrity Row at the Garden. There are a pair of seats near Courtside for

Game Six at the NBA Finals. They're looking for a quarter of a million dollars, a piece. Incredible, right? You were talking about that's

basically triple the median household income here in New York City.

So, look, why is this happening? I mean, as you mentioned at the top, the Knicks, they haven't been in the NBA Finals in a very long time. The last

time they were there, their current star point guard, Jalen Brunson, he was a toddler. The Sopranos had just wrapped up their first season.

Napster had just launched, so it's been a bit for a lot of people. This is literally their only time in their lifetime to see the next.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Really quite incredible. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:00]

KINKADE: Well, this week we are exploring the global rise of K-Beauty as part of K Everything, a CNN original series with Daniel Dae Kim. In South

Korea's competitive job market, it's common to a passport photo to add to your resume, but with some enhancements.

Daniel gets his photo taken in Seoul to learn why investing in appearance is so important.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL DAE KIM, HOST OF K-EVERYTHING: Hello. I need a photo for my resume. Could you help me with that?

YUJIN PI, STUDIO MANAGER AT STUDIO PHOTOBI: Yes.

KIM: OK. Naturalize myself with balance, quite pretty, like a selfie. Do it excessively make me a goddess. I wonder.

KIM (voice-over): If you want to get a job in Korea. You're coming to a place like this Studio Photobi.

KIM: OK.

PI: Now I'm going to retouch a little bit. OK, start from the skin job.

KIM: So, this is a normal process for anyone who's looking for a job, is that right?

PI: Yes. Exactly.

KIM: Wow, you're faster than AI.

KIM (voice-over): Many Koreans add photos to their resume, including enhancements, and it's not just about vanity.

KIM: Let's see what my lips look like with some color.

KIM (voice-over): It's an investment in yourself and your job prospects. OK, so it's not just the face, it's the whole body you will change.

KIRYUNG KIM, STUDIO MANAGER AT STUDIO PHOTOBI: I think Koreans usually want a natural V-shape.

KIM: This is Korean shape?

K. KIM: Yeah.

KIM: OK. So that's before, after. I also look 10 years younger. I've never seen a photo of myself like this before. If I was ever going to look like a

K-pop idol, is this photo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: You can stream the full series in the U.S. on the CNN app and globally on HBO Max. That does it for this hour of "Connect the World". I'm

Lynda Kinkade. "World Sport" is after the break. And then I'll be back with much more news in about 15 minutes. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

END