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Isa Soares Tonight
A Global Scramble Underway To Contain A New Ebola Outbreak As Hundreds Of Cases are Reported In The Democratic Republic Of Congo; Jury Sides With OpenAI In Elon Musk's Lawsuit Against The ChatGPT Maker; Iranian Government Prepare Its Citizens For War With The U.S. Ukraine: Russia Attacks Odessa And Dnipro; Ukraine's Largest Attack On Moscow; Cuban President Warns Of "Bloodbath" If U.S. Attacks; Bodies Of Four Missing Divers Located In Maldives Sea Caves; North Korean Football Team Makes Rare Visit To South Korea. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired May 18, 2026 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, a global scramble is underway to contain
a new Ebola outbreak as hundreds of cases are reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We'll have the very latest for you, of course.
Then the jury sides with OpenAI, and Elon Musk's lawsuit against the ChatGPT maker. We'll have more on this breaking news story. Plus, eyes on
the skies. We'll bring you a report from our CNN team along what's called The Road of Life in eastern Ukraine, where death-delivering drones circle
constantly overhead. That and much more this hour.
And like I said, we do start the hour with breaking news. Elon Musk has lost his lawsuit against OpenAI. A California jury says Musk waited too
long to sue the maker of ChatGPT and its leaders, and that the lawsuit he filed was barred by the Statute of Limitation.
Now, this case, I think was a three-week case or so, pitted two of the most influential figures in the world of A.I. against each other. Following the
case for us right from the beginning is our Hadas Gold. So, Hadas, give us a sense of what the judge is saying, because I think this was part of the
argument, right? That it was -- took too long to bring this case forward. What can you tell us?
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Statute of Limitations was actually the very first thing that the jury was instructed to consider when they were
given their instructions from the judge, because if the Statute of Limitations had passed and all of the other claims were essentially moot
because the jury would have found that Elon Musk just waited too long to bring this case.
That was one of OpenAI's arguments, and it does appear as though the jury unanimously agreed with that case. The Statute of Limitations had passed
the unanimous decision by these nine Californians. The judge in this case agreed because their verdict was advisory, but the judge had said she would
likely follow their advice.
And she agreed that the Statute of Limitations had passed and dismissed the other claims. She said, in part in court, I think that there's a
substantial amount of evidence to support the jury's finding, which is why I was prepared to dismiss on the spot.
So, the jury only deliberated, Isa, for like 90 minutes. This case, we had three weeks of testimony. We heard from some of the biggest names in tech.
The CEO of Microsoft, we heard from Elon Musk, we heard from Sam Altman.
There was, you know, intimate moments and things revealed in all of this, everything from Elon Musk's personal relationships. One of the mothers of
his children was testifying to the personal diaries of OpenAI's president.
And all of that essentially became moot, because the jury said Elon Musk waited too long. OpenAI transition to having a for-profit structure,
something like five years ago. The Statute of Limitations in this case was three years.
So, obviously, the jury decided you should have brought this earlier. Now, Musk's attorneys had tried to argue that Musk only realized that he was
being deceived in OpenAI's nonprofit to for-profit structure within the last three years or so.
They were trying to argue, essentially, that the timing on the Statute of Limitations started at a different point in time. Obviously, the jury
disagreed with that. And again, 90 minutes deliberation. That's pretty fast for a case of this magnitude.
For the amount of, you know, witnesses and testimony that they heard, and they just said, sorry, Elon Musk, you waited too long. And this will have
for OpenAI -- it's essentially a green light for them to continue on as they planned.
Because had they lost this case, it would have had major ramifications for not only their leadership. Sam Altman and Greg Brockman could have lost
their jobs. But also, Elon Musk was trying to get OpenAI to revert back to being a nonprofit.
OpenAI wants to have a massive IPO expected later this year, and had they been forced to go back to being a nonprofit, obviously those plans would
have been scrambled. Now, it looks like they will be able to continue on as they want to.
Of course, this isn't over. Marc Toberoff, he is Elon Musk's attorney, he told reporters at court, one word comment, "appeal", so, they will likely
be appealing this case.
SOARES: Yes --
GOLD: But for OpenAI, that means they can just continue on, and Elon Musk loses.
SOARES: On a broader aspect here, Hadas. I mean, what does this mean for the future development of A.I.?
[14:05:00]
GOLD: I think we will continue to see it developing as we've seen. OpenAI is the leader. OpenAI is raking in massive amounts of cash and revenue, is
sort of seen as the center of this universe for a lot of these circular deals we're seeing with A.I. development, and is going to help set the pace
of A.I. development.
What that means for its competitors, that they will continue being competitors. Because one of the arguments OpenAI was making was that Elon
Musk was only bringing this case because he has his own competing A.l. lab, xAI, and that he was just trying to bring a competitor down.
And had he won in this case, had OpenAI been forced to reverse -- revert to being a nonprofit, that would have obviously been given a boost to their
competitors. That's not the case here. And they will continue on.
And who knows? Maybe there were some deals or investors who were waiting to see what would happen with this case before they moved on with other deals.
And now that it appears to be settled, at least, until we see an appeal, maybe that means that we will see OpenAI's business deals just rocket up
even more.
SOARES: Hadas, you've been on the story for us for three weeks on this. Appreciate you being on the breaking news story this hour. Thank you, Hadas
Gold there for us in New York. I do want to move now to the global effort to contain the latest outbreak of Ebola.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control report more than 100 suspected deaths have now been linked to the virus in the Democratic Republic of
Congo. Cases have also been confirmed in Uganda. The World Health Organization has declared the epidemic a public health emergency of
international concern.
In the past few hours, the U.S. invoked a public health law called the Title 42, which basically restricts entry into the country due to the
outbreaks of diseases. The order applies to non-U.S. passport holders.
If they've been in D.R. Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda or South Sudan during the last 21 days. The U.S. is also looking to relocate a
small number of Americans who have been affected by the outbreak, but won't confirm if they have the virus.
Let's get to our Larry Madowo, who is following developments for us from Nairobi. And so, Larry, just bring us up-to-speed, really with the very
latest, the number of people affected and the measures that are being put in place to try and contain this.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right now, more than 105 people have been killed suspected from Ebola, Isa. And they're tracking about 400 who are
showing signs, symptomatic with Ebola. This is the Bundibugyo virus. This is a rare version of it and which claims between 25 and 40 percent of those
that catch Ebola from the strain.
Ebola keeps popping up in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is actually the 17th time that we're seeing it here. This is an expert, a
public health emergency doctor, explaining why it's especially in this part of the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMED OGWELL, CEO, VILLAGEREACH: Some of the populations actually eat bats, and therefore the exposure to the Ebola virus is much higher in the belt
across central part of Africa, and particularly in the DRC, where Ebola virus was first characterized in 1976.
And that communication between the human population and the fruit bat in the forest continues. And any time that a fruit bat has the Ebola virus,
then the human being is exposed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: The Congolese government right now has set up three treatment centers in Ituri; that's the province in the northeast where this is the
epicenter. It borders Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda.
And it's asking those who are showing symptoms to show up for treatment, because there's been some stigma around Ebola, even though there's been 17
different occurrences of it, the DRC has become reasonably good at dealing with it.
But right now, countries in the region on high alert to make sure that there are no people who have crossed over into their borders and might
begin to show symptoms later. At the same time, the U.S. now banning people who have been non-U.S. passport holders from the DRC, from South Sudan and
from Uganda from entering the United States if there have been in any of those countries over the last 21 days.
And across the region, great concern, Isa, if there's a possibility that this was spreading in the community for a few weeks before it was detected
and confirmed.
SOARES: Yes, let me get to that point. I mean, I was on this story on Friday night, right? There was already a case in neighboring Uganda. Just
speak to that nervousness regionally there, Larry, because the fear, of course, of this is spreading further, and the fact that it's taken this
long for it to be called out, right? Why is it taking this long? Do we know? Are we getting answers on that front?
MADOWO: So, two things. One, Uganda is being very clear that these two people who have confirmed cases were both Congolese. One died and was sent
across the border, the other is at a treatment.
There are no local infections in Uganda. Two, why did it take this long? That's part of the puzzle here, because the first case, a 59-year-old man,
essentially patient zero, was detected about a month ago.
So, there should have been a closer, faster way to declare this an emergency to begin to do contact-tracing, to begin treatment for those who
are showing symptoms. That was a bit of a delay, and that's why the World Health Organization is warning that this might be a much larger crisis than
it is.
[14:10:00]
They did not call it a pandemic emergency. They called it a public health emergency of international concern. So, just short of that, but still for
people in Rwanda, in Uganda and South Sudan that are direct neighbors of this Ituri region of northeastern DRC, great concern that there might be
some people in the community who might not be showing symptoms right now, but in a few days might be showing symptoms.
And they have come into contact with other people, and Ebola is very infectious, even if not contagious. This strain, it is quite infectious.
SOARES: Larry Madowo for us this hour in Nairobi, Kenya. Thanks very much, Larry. I want to do -- I want to stay with this story and get more on the
widening, really global concerns about this outbreak.
Dr. Nahid Bhadelia is the founding Director of Boston University's Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases and treated patients during the West
African Ebola epidemic. And she joins me now from Boston. Doctor, welcome to the show.
Let me just first get your reaction to now Title 42 being implemented in the United States. I'm assuming you're going to tell me that is the right
call.
NAHID BHADELIA, FOUNDING DIRECTOR, CENTER ON EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES, BOSTON UNIVERSITY: Well, I think, Isa, I'm not sure if the bans of the
citizens are necessarily proportional to what's happening here, but I think the rest of the Title 42, which includes resources for contact-tracing,
laboratory and other capacities on all boards of entry -- ports of entry on both sides, is great.
But also gives capacity and funding for CDC to put boots on the ground where the crisis is happening, which is going to be really helpful. From
that perspective, I believe that's helpful. But travel bans, blood travel bans themselves don't always help.
SOARES: So, doctor, what do you know? What are you learning about the kind of measures that are being put in place, of course, to stop this from
spreading. As you heard from my colleague there in Nairobi talking about cases already in neighboring Uganda.
BHADELIA: Yes, Isa, I was listening to what Larry was saying, and I want to --
SOARES: Yes --
BHADELIA: Underscore what he said. This is not a pandemic threat to the international community. It is of great concern for regional health
security, partly because of the fact that we now have over 400 suspected cases and over 100 deaths.
All the recent, you know, Ebola outbreaks or Marburg outbreaks that have happened in the region have been quickly identified. And the way you stop
an Ebola outbreak or any viral hemorrhagic fever outbreak is, you get everybody who might be suspected or confirmed into care, so they don't
transmit further.
And then you contact-trace everybody that they have been in contact with. You put them in quarantine, so, there is no further transmission. How do
you do that when you have over 400 people that are --
SOARES: Yes --
BHADELIA: So geographically spread, not just within DRC, but also in the lower border of DRC, near Rwanda, Goma had a confirmed case, and then also
Kampala. And I worked in actually Uganda for a long period of time at the border of Rwanda.
Kampala is over 400 kilometers from Bunia, where we're saying some of the main suspect cases are. It takes a very long time for people to travel. A
lot of these roads, you know, days in some cases.
So, the fact that there's two unlinked, epidemiologically-unlinked cases in Kampala is concerning, that this might be bigger and may be going on for a
lot longer than we think.
SOARES: And as we were hearing, doctor, I mean, we're now in the triple digits. And it was only been recently declared, right? A World Health
Emergency. Why do you think it's taken that long? Is it to do with just the location of it? How much does politics play the part? Those cuts to USAID.
Just your analysis on that.
BHADELIA: Yes, you know, DRC is -- I mean, it's a true expert in taking care of Ebola outbreaks. This is their 17th outbreak. And so, it's really
quite surprising. I think it is the remoteness. It's also complicating that the early laboratory tests actually came back negative for Ebola, which
might have set some minds at ease.
You know, a lot of diseases can be undiagnosed if not, the right diagnostics are there. But in this case, there were. And so, it's unclear
what happened there. And that actually caused a little bit of a delay. So, the remoteness, the early negative.
I also do think that, you know, if Ebola is sort of the needle in the haystack, and your haystack here is, as someone who's taken care of Ebola
patients, I can tell you, most Ebola patients look like malaria patients or typhoid patients.
So, you know, if you have a lot of infectious diseases, illnesses that have gone up because we've seen cuts to global programs, right? USAID, 80
percent cuts to global programs at USAID. And we've been following, you know, increases in malaria and cholera in the region. It would be easier
then to miss the signal from the noise.
SOARES: And doctor, as you and I were talking, I'm just getting news that an American working in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive
for Ebola. This is from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's just in the last few moments.
And this person developed symptoms over the weekend and then tested positive, we've been told on Sunday. The person will be moved to Germany
for treatment and care, which is basically what you were saying in your first answer.
[14:15:00]
The measures being put in place now. And to this, doctor, is also the concerns of this strain, how different it is from previous strains.
BHADELIA: Yes, we have though, you know, some of the least amount of experience with Bundibugyo. Most amount of experience with the Zaire Ebola
virus species, which really caused the West African Ebola virus epidemic that, you know, cost thousands of deaths. So, we don't have medical
countermeasures, vaccines or treatments that are far enough out in development that could be easily deployed.
But I know people are working on it, but I think the issues are even more basic than that. The problem is, you know, I'm not surprised that
healthcare workers are getting exposed and getting sick.
You -- in addition to the American we're hearing about, there are four deaths among Congolese healthcare workers that have already been reported,
which honestly, I think is probably an underestimate. Healthcare workers are usually canaries in the coal mine.
They tell you that patients are being seen who may be positive for Ebola that weren't recognized early enough as Ebola. And because they are taking
care of these patients, potentially in settings where there might not be personal protective equipment, they are at the highest risk.
Along with the family members who are taking care of the sick patients. It is not a -- again, this is not an easily transmissible disease. It requires
close contact and bloodborne pathogen exposure, but it's really the caretakers who are at highest risk.
SOARES: Goodness, incredibly scary for all of those on the ground. Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, thank you very much, doctor, really appreciate it. And
still to come tonight, President Trump signals the U.S. may be moving closer to resuming the war against Iran.
And the Iranians say they'll be ready if that happens. Our reporting from Tehran, that is next. Plus, we'll take you straight to Ukraine's frontline
to see how drones and robots are reshaping warfare. Both those stories after this very short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: U.S. President Donald Trump is again weighing his options after threatening to resume the war against Iran. The President will meet this
week with top officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
And that follows a meeting that took place over the weekend. On Sunday, President Trump warned Iran, the clock is ticking to make a deal to end the
war. He urged them, as you can see there, to get moving fast or there won't be anything left to them.
Well, Iran's Foreign Ministry says it's responded to U.S. criticism of its most recent proposal and diplomatic efforts remain active. Meantime, Iran
has maintained that it will be ready if the U.S. decides to resume military operations.
[14:20:00]
Now, some Iranians are preparing for that very possibility. CNN operates in Iran only with government permission, but retains full editorial control of
what it reports. Here's our chief global affairs correspondent, Matthew Chance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey! U.S. service, believe(ph) it ended!!!
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Across Iran, the tension and the rhetoric is getting stronger. Thousands have been
gathering every night for state-sponsored rallies, mobilizing supporters against the United States.
(On camera): How concerned are you that the war may start again soon?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Concerned --
CHANCE: Worried?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I'm not worried. Why should I be worried? Because I'm so ready to sacrifice my life for my country, for my people. So, no,
I'm not worried at all. At all.
CHANCE: This man's sign reads, "nuclear technology and missiles are as important as borders." Key sticking points, installed peace-talks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need nuclear, not for the bomb. For peaceful --
CHANCE: Still a bit escalating threats from the White House. Ordinary Iranians are now being urged to prepare for war. Right, well, these rallies
or gatherings have been taking place every single night for the past, you know, several weeks.
And so, they're not new. But what is new is the introduction of weapons. And these kiosks have been set up in each of these sorts of squares where
members of the military, there you can see them with masks on. They're showing people, in this case, a woman, the basic skills of how to use what
I think is an AK-47 or a Kalashnikov, things like that.
Look over here. They're showing -- they're showing children how to use them as well. It's all part of a sort of state-sponsored call to arms in case
the war begins again.
(Voice-over): It's all guns on state television too, it's several Iranian channels broadcasting their hosts, brandishing assault rifles. "They gave
me a weapon so I could learn how to use it. Like you." This anchor tells her viewers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
CHANCE: After his on-air training, this presenter fires off a round into the studio ceiling.
(GUNFIRE)
But not all Iranians are gunning for a fight. Just around the corner from the rally hints at the diversity of views about their country's plight.
(On camera): Well, it's a -- it's a very different atmosphere in this part of town. People are sitting with their partners, having coffees, strolling
around the bookstores or just hanging out with their friends. And you talk to people, you get very different views as well.
You know, people didn't want to talk on camera, but off camera. One woman said to me, she just wanted peace and freedom. Another one said she wanted
to live in a normal country where there was a potential future for her children.
(Voice-over): But Iran's future to many Iranians looks increasingly clear, especially amid regular threats from President Trump.
(On camera): Waiting for the war.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're waiting. We are here because we know this war isn't over. We know he's not negotiating -- he's not going to negotiate
anything. He's just going to be like either you do what I tell you, or I'm going to kill you again.
CHANCE (voice-over): And it may be that bleak sense of inevitability drowning out any voices of compromise. Matthew Chance, CNN in Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, let's get the view from the United States and the reaction really to that Truth Social post from the President. Kristen Holmes joins
us now from the White House. And Kristen, we have heard similar threats from the U.S. President before.
Anything to suggest that the U.S. is moving forward in any way with more strikes. What are you hearing?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're hearing there's an enormous amount of frustration from President Trump. I mean, up until
the last couple of days, we were being told consistently that President Trump favor diplomacy, that that's what he was looking for.
But we are also told that the Pentagon has presented him with a number of options. The same options that we know of, these kind of ideas of strikes
in a short period of time, then a longer period of time, looking at all of the various options.
And on top of that, President Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the closure over the Strait of Hormuz, in particular, how this is driving
up global oil prices. One of the things that I'm hearing from U.S. officials, particularly in the administration, people who are talking to
the President, is that this White House is very aware of how bad this is for the entire world.
[14:25:00]
But also, particularly for the -- for Americans and for Republicans who are going to be showing up at the polls in November. There are a lot of people
running for office, and this White House wants to keep control of the House and Senate.
And that's looking increasingly harder to do if these gas prices don't come down. So, while he is considering this, we know he's meeting with his
national security team. He did so over the weekend. Also, the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Vice President J.D. Vance, special envoy, Steve
Witkoff, the head of the CIA, John Ratcliffe. They were all part of that meeting.
He's scheduled to have another one early this week as they go through the various options. But it's really hard to see how he comes out of this,
given the fact that we have not really seen any movement with the Iranians.
We know that the Iranians have said that they've given a new proposal, this is in response to the United States' criticism over the last proposal.
Everything was kind of on a standstill while President Trump was in China, very little movement then. Now, we know about this Iranian response. We
haven't heard from the White House on this, but all indications have pointed to the last several responses, just not really moving the dial at
all.
Another big question we have, and we might be able to ask the President in just a little bit when we see him, if we get close enough and he takes
questions, is whether or not he still has faith in the Pakistanis as leading these negotiations, given that they have been going on now for so
long without any real movement, and now he's considering going back in with military options.
SOARES: Kristen Holmes for us there at the White House. Thanks very much. Well, the death toll in the latest round of fighting between Israel and
Hezbollah has surpassed a grim milestone in Lebanon. The country's Health Minister -- Ministry, I should say, says more than 3,000 people have been
killed by Israeli strikes since early March, and that includes hundreds of women as well as children.
The Israeli strikes have continued almost daily despite the current ceasefire which exists mostly on paper. The IDF says it's targeting
Hezbollah efforts to re-arm. Turning our attention away from the Middle East now and to Washington.
Stunning, really unprecedented even, just a couple of ways critics are describing the Trump administration's creation of a so-called anti-
weaponization fund, worth nearly $1.8 billion. With that U.S. taxpayer's money, the White House could pay President Trump's allies who claim, they
were politically prosecuted from a government agency, he, by the way, controls.
The fund's creation is part of an agreement by the President to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns. Our
Paula Reid breaks it all down for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The Justice Department has just released new details about this fund that it is going
to establish as part of an agreement with President Trump's personal lawyers, for him to dismiss an ongoing lawsuit that he has against the IRS
for $10 billion.
Now, here, the Justice Department has agreed to establish a nearly $2 billion fund where the President's allies and others who believe they have
been unfairly targeted by the Justice Department, can file a claim.
Now, they say there's no partisan requirement to file a claim, but they specifically mention investigations related to President Trump's alleged
mishandling of classified documents, his involvement in January 6th and alleged efforts to undermine the 2020 election, as well as the Mueller
probe.
Now, they say if you believe you have a legitimate claim that you file one, and you can get potentially a formal apology and monetary relief if they
decide this is something you are owed.
Now, there is no doubt that President Trump and his lawyers, including the acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche, truly believe that the President was
unfairly targeted by the Biden Justice Department and even his own Justice Department through the Mueller investigation.
But what is not clear is whether taxpayers are going to be willing to fund to the tune of $2 billion. His allies are getting payments for these
grievances. This idea is something that leaked and prompted enormous political blowback.
Democrats are really seizing on this. They've already filed in court questioning that IRS lawsuit. And we can certainly expect more litigation
as a result of this fund. Now, I will note the exact amount that is being requested to be put into the Treasury is $1.776 billion.
That is, of course, a reference to 1776, the nation's upcoming birthday. Well, that is certainly cutesy. It is not clear that taxpayers are going to
find this amusing. Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And still to come, tonight --
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(GUNFIRE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the new warfare, hide, shoot at the sky, run, fire drones back.
(GUNFIRE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: An up-close look at how warfare is evolving on Ukraine's frontline. That report from our Nick Paton Walsh coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:32:58]
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Ukrainian officials say Russia struck the cities of Odessa and Dnipro in missile and drone attacks overnight. They
say dozens of people were injured, and the attacks damaged residential buildings, a school and a kindergarten. The night before, Ukraine carried
out what Russian state media called the largest attack on Moscow in more than a year. Russia says Ukraine used more than 500 drones, killing at
least three people. At least two deaths were also reported from Ukrainian strikes on southern Russia.
And the warfare Ukrainian troops face has evolved since the war began, with drones now haunting every move and robots providing a lifeline. To give us
an up-close look at the intensity, really, of it all, a CNN crew took a walk along the so-called Road of Life, the key resupply route to the front
line, with our Nick Paton Walsh.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH (voice-over): They call this the Road of Life, but it's about survival, not living. It is safest on foot, under skies ruled by tiny
killer drones targeting any vehicle, the nets trying to block the horror from above. If you can, make the robot your friend, your porter. The
machines are normally the enemy here.
WALSH: This now pretty much all over the front lines. Tiny bits of fiber- optic cable used to connect drones to their controller can go on for tens of kilometers, stopping the jamming before --
WALSH (voice-over): A Russian drone above. The Ukrainians open fire.
[14:35:00]
They hit it.
WALSH: That's the impact. And you have to split out, because the drone will try and target groups of individuals.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): One, two, or three.
WALSH: Sometimes one, two, three, you find.
WALSH (voice-over): We're doing Sasha (ph) and Bogdan's (ph) usual walk along this road between two Ukrainian positions, but it takes five hours,
and we are buzzed by attack drones 14 times.
The threats change every month. Here, looking for loitering drones, they hover low and wait for you.
A radio warning. The trees aren't just a place to hide, but somewhere the drones cannot fly. Russian drones circle, targeting vehicles, but also
dropping explosives on troops. You have to keep moving, though they may swarm around you.
WALSH: The battlefield has completely changed in a matter of a year. Nobody drives cars on this road, unless you have to. Nobody drives in tanks.
That's outgoing artillery. These robots used for resupply, up ahead we can see people repairing the nets, a kind of key protection. But these used to
resupply food, ammunition, all around the front line.
WALSH (voice-over): Gunfire means run, again.
WALSH: This is a pretty constant, and the only move is to hide into the trees. There it lands, not far.
WALSH (voice-over): You might be thinking, why not walk inside the nets?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): To maneuver if there is a drone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Their speed is high. You need to get away, and not group up.
WALSH: This is part of the problem here, in that after an hour of this, you don't quite get numb to it, but let's see something here, you get slightly
too comfortable and tired.
WALSH (voice-over): The next one is right on top of us.
WALSH: There it is. There it is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Is it ours?
WALSH (voice-over): They hit it. That grey streak. And it falls. Whirling down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): What a good hit.
WALSH (voice-over): But it hasn't detonated. Debris drifts. There's been no blast, so we are alive. It may have been a recon drone, but flew like a
Russian attacker.
Down the road is the Kostyantynivka front, where the Kremlin's advance has been slowed to a crawl, at the enormous cost, across the front, of 35,000
Russian dead and wounded a month, says Ukraine. This is the tenth attack.
WALSH: They caught sight of it briefly, and it appears to be coming closer now. Actually, intense fire. You can hear it. See it up.
WALSH (voice-over): Drones also target heavy gunfire. Their friend, a lieutenant, killed when this car was hit just two days ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Roman, this is where it happened. Rest in peace.
WALSH (voice-over): We are nearing their bunker position. There are moments here to rest, see the trophies of drones that failed, but we have to get
back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Did you expect there to be so many robots and drones?
AFINA, 24TH MECHANIZED BRIGADE (through translator): No, to be honest, I didn't. I actually joined the army before the full-scale war and didn't
expect anything like this at all. It's a big tough at the moment. Over time, you get a bit bummed out by all of this. You realize you have to do
it.
WALSH (voice-over): As soon as we emerge, they are above us again. This is the new warfare, hide. Shoot at the sky. Run. Fire drones back. The
impact's just as deadly as shelling. The accuracy, horrific.
[14:40:00]
WALSH: Have to walk in, but also walk out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Monakh, Monakh, it is above the trees.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Plus, plus. Heat it.
WALSH (voice-over): The buzz stays with you, ringing in your ears for hours later. No respite.
The grey smoke, perhaps it hit the net.
WALSH: That was close, loud. You could hear the shrapnel landing on the tarmac, clearly targeting that armored vehicle.
WALSH (voice-over): It is hard to see how this grind is a win, but it is. Ukraine on foot, robots in support, automation replacing scarce troops,
holding ground.
The drones never stop, but neither does Ukraine, adapting, learning, engineering this new warfare, and hoping any edge sustains long enough to
put Russia in reverse.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Druzhkivka, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Terrific piece from Nick Paton Walsh and team. Well, Russia's long- standing ally, Cuba, is warning of a bloodbath if there's a U.S. military assault on the island. President Miguel Diaz-Canel said today Cuba poses no
threat and it does not have aggressive plans or intentions against any country.
And its comments come as the news site Axios reports, citing classified intel given to them, that Cuba has acquired drones to attack the U.S.
military base at Guantanamo Bay and possibly Key West in Florida. The CIA director last week traveled to Havana, of course, as we told you, for an
extraordinary meeting with top Cuban officials.
Well, Washington's pressure campaign is making life in Cuba pretty unbearable, there are rolling blackouts, empty gas stations, and food
shortages, with trash piling up in the streets. Our Patrick Oppmann reports for you from Havana.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what brought Cuba to its breaking point. For decades, Venezuela had been Havana's biggest oil
supplier. Then overnight, its president, Nicolas Maduro, was out of power.
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: The dictator and terrorist, Maduro, is finally gone in Venezuela. People are free.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Under U.S. pressure, Caracas pulled the plug on its closest ally, which already had a troubled economy.
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We would like to see the regime change. We would like -- that doesn't mean that we're going to make a
change, but we would love to see it change.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Once the Trump administration threatened tariffs on countries that send oil to the communist-run government, no one dared to
come to its rescue. The impact on this island nation of 10 million people has been devastating. blackouts stretching past 20 hours a day became the
new normal in many areas.
And while at first there were endless lines at gas stations, they eventually cleared because there's no longer any gas. Food prices spiked,
and shortages soon followed.
ANAYASI, FOOD VENDOR (through translator): We are paying two, three times as much to restock and keep people happy. There's no food.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Everywhere you look, there are piles of trash, breeding grounds for diseases and despair.
JOANI MANUEL TABLADA FAL, RESIDENT (through translator): For a man that words so hard, look at my money, 23 pesos.
OPPMANN (voice-over): That's less than one U.S. dollar. Add to that tourism grinding to a halt, and you have a perfect storm. Cubans are no strangers
to economic hardship. Following Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, they've endured America's embargo and their own government's disastrous economic
missteps. But in my 14 years as a foreign correspondent in this country, I've never seen Cubans suffering to such a degree.
MICHEL LOPEZ, FISHERMAN (through translator): It's logical. If there's no oil, there's no industry, no work. We will see how this ends.
OPPMANN (voice-over): And that is something I'm hearing again and again from residents, with some unleashing their anger into the streets.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The children don't have food to eat. They can't go to school. We are desperate. The women have lost 20
pounds. We're anxious. We don't have a way to support our kids.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Now, U.S. officials say they're seeking a federal indictment against 94-year-old former leader Raul Castro, still believed to
wield great power. His handpicked successor says Cuba is preparing to defend against any U.S. attack. It's the closest that Washington and Havana
have come to outright confrontation since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
OPPMANN: Donald Trump has said he may put a U.S. aircraft carrier right here off Cuba's coast and tell the island's leadership to leave power. That
the mere side of America's military might would be enough to take Cuba without firing a shot.
[14:40:00]
Cuba's officials though, have said that any U.S. military action would lead to a loss of both Cuban and U.S. lives.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Over the years, Cubans have told me they just want a normal life, to live in a country where things work, and where they have
the opportunity to prosper and live in peace. At least for the moment, that simple dream seems farther away than ever.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, after days of searching, expert divers have located the bodies of four missing people killed in last week's scuba tragedy in the
Maldives. Five Italian divers died while exploring maze-like underwater caves located off an atoll in the Indian Ocean. It's still unclear what
exactly went wrong, but strong currents and complete darkness make diving there extremely difficult. A diver from the Maldives National Defense Force
was killed on Saturday during a recovery mission.
We're going to take a short break, but we'll see you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: We are exploring the global rise of Korean food this week as part of K-Everything is CNN original series with Daniel Dae Kim. Today he meets
Corey Lee, the first Korean chef to earn three Michelin stars for one of his favorite meals in Seoul. It took Corey years to reach the top of his
field and even longer for his mom to come around to his career choice.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANIEL DAE KIM, HOST, "K-EVERYTHING": First time I ever saw someone crunch into a raw crab, it was my dad and I thought, damn man, that's savage.
KIM (voice-over): Ganjang Gejang or soy marinated crab. It's raw, salty, intensely savory and one of my all-time favorites.
KIM: How's it?
COREY LEE, CHEF: Yes, that's really good.
KIM: You know, he said like when you eat crab, when you eat lobster, any kind of shellfish --
LEE: So, good.
KIM: -- he said nothing should go to waste. Everything is edible.
KIM (voice-over): Like me, Corey was born in Korea. Also like me, his parents moved him to the U.S. at an early age.
LEE: My mom, they were never those parents who made me go to after-school classes or scrutinize my grades or anything like that. They were very, very
hands-off.
KIM: You and I had some different upbringings.
KIM (voice-over): Corey's mom, though, did not want him to be a chef.
LEE: My father was a pretty progressive person, especially for a Korean man of his generation. But my mom's fairly traditional and she really opposed
it.
[14:50:00]
Constantly, you know, saying comments here and there about how I should look into something else or go to college finally and pursue a real
profession.
KIM: Yes, exactly.
LEE: I'm sure you got the same thing.
KIM: I did.
KIM (voice-over): Corey eventually made his way to the highly acclaimed French Laundry in California, which is when his mom finally came around.
LEE: A newspaper, Chosen Able, they heard that the head chef of the French Laundry that just got three stars is actually a Korean-American. Chosen
Able is, you know, one of the big deal. My mother read that article and she thought, OK, I guess this is like a real profession. I think she needed
some kind of validation in her terms.
KIM: Right. Because you could be in the New York Times, you could be in Time magazine. It doesn't matter as much as it would be like a Korean
newspaper.
LEE: No, I think that's right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And you can stream the full series in the U.S. on the CNN app and globally on HBO Max. Still to come on the show tonight, a team of North
Korean athletes crossed into South Korea for the first time in more than seven years. We'll explain why, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: South Korea is hosting North Korean athletes for the first time in more than seven years. A woman's football team from Pyongyang arrived
Sunday to compete in the Asian Club Championship. Our Will Ripley has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On Wednesday, millions of Koreans in the north and south may be watching the same soccer game, but
they'll be living in two completely different realities.
And those worlds collided during the arrival of Pyongyang's Nego Kyung women's soccer team over the weekend, creating a massive media frenzy at
the airport in Seoul. Crowds turned out to cheer on the North Korean delegation of more than three dozen players and staff. The athletes
certainly stood out in their matching dark blazers and skirts and heels and lapel pins featuring the faces of North Korea's late leaders.
The players carefully followed protocol, avoiding interaction with cheering crowds as they moved quickly and quietly past the cameras. The two Koreas
are technically still at war, so the team had to fly through Beijing because direct inter-Korean flights remain banned. Instead of a one-hour
flight, the trip took closer to half a day.
The bus carrying the team left the airport under police escort. South Korea approved a special entry exemption for the delegation, while civic groups
organized so-called peace cheering events for both sides. Officially, both governments insist this is about sports, not diplomacy.
[14:55:00]
But sports on the Korean Peninsula almost always never really is just about sports. The last major thaw in inter-Korean sports diplomacy helped pave
the way for the historic 2018 summits involving Kim Jong-un, South Korean leaders, and President Donald Trump. Still, experts caution against reading
too much into this moment.
Relations between the North and South remain deeply strained. Kim Jong-un has abandoned decades of official policy favoring peaceful reunification,
while North Korea continues weapons testing and increasingly close military ties with Russia.
Naegohyang means my hometown in Korean, and women's soccer has become one of North Korea's biggest sources of national pride. Kim Jong-un reportedly
treats these players like national heroes.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And finally, tonight, parents around the world will know Gen Alpha's viral 6-7 trend all too well. Believe me, I've heard it from my
kids. And it seems even the Holy Father isn't immune. A video shared on TikTok this weekend showed a group of children at the Vatican teaching it
to Pope Leo.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: 6-7.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: I thought they'd at least translate it into Italian, but it's great for the Pope.
That does it for us for tonight. Do stay right here. "What We Know" with Max Foster is up next. I shall see you tomorrow. Have a wonderful evening.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
