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Isa Soares Tonight
A Major Escalation By Israel As It Expands Ground Operations In Lebanon; Brutal Heat-Wave Scorching Western Europe With Record Temperatures; Race Is On To Save Seven People Trapped For A Week In A Cave In Laos; Trump Earlier Diagnosed With Chronic Venous Insufficiency; Trump Set To Convene Cabinet Meeting At Camp David; U.S. Launches "Self-Defense" Strikes On Iran; Russia Threatens Wave Of New Strikes On Kyiv; Teams Race To Save Villagers Stuck In Flooded Cave In Laos. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired May 26, 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 major escalation by Israel as it
expands ground operations in Lebanon. This as U.S. President Donald Trump gets to -- gets set to host a cabinet meeting at Camp David. We'll have the
very latest on the war in the Middle East.
Then, a brutal heat-wave is scorching western Europe with temperature records really being smashed. We'll have more on that in this hour. Plus,
the race is on to save seven people trapped for a week in a cave in Laos. I'll be speaking to a diver who's dealt with these rescues before. That and
much more this hour.
I do want to begin with breaking news. Israel is now pushing deeper into Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said just a short time
ago, the IDF is ramping up its fight against Hezbollah. It's conducting ground operations north of the so-called yellow line. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER, ISRAEL (through translator): We are deepening our operation in Lebanon. The IDF is operating with large forces
on the ground and is taking control of strategic areas. We are fortifying the security zone in order to protect the communities of northern Israel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And that follows massive strikes against Iran's ally, Hezbollah. The IDF says it hit more than 100 targets. Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary
Guards are now threatening to retaliate after the U.S. said it launched the strikes in self-defense.
U.S. Central Command tells CNN, they targeted Iranian missile sites and boats around the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring really how the stakes,
along with the tensions, of course, have been raised. U.S. President Donald Trump will hold a cabinet meeting on Wednesday at Camp David; the
presidential retreat in Maryland.
As for the diplomatic efforts, you ask? Well, high-ranking members of the Iranian delegation, including the Foreign Minister, are back in Tehran
following talks in Qatar. Iran's state media described those sessions as, quote, "generally positive".
Let me get straight to the White House and speak to our Alayna Treene. So, Alayna, let me start off with these strikes. Just take a step back for us.
Give us a sense of what you're hearing from the White House in terms of what motivates them and what the thinking is from the administration,
given, of course, as we've reported, the President is preparing to convene a meeting at Camp David tomorrow. How rare is this?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, I'll start with the second part of your question, Isa, about --
SOARES: Yes --
TREENE: This Camp David meeting. It is pretty rare. I mean, the -- President Trump has been someone who uses that Camp David retreat very
sparingly. He's only been there once during his second term. And typically, as well when you've seen these cabinet meetings, they almost always take
place inside the West Wing, in the cabinet room.
They go around the table, it lasts a couple of hours. This makes it seem like a much bigger trip. We are told that all cabinet officials are
expected to be there, and also looks like it's going to be a much more extensive type of meeting.
So, it is pretty rare, not only the setting of this being at Camp David. Of course, when President Trump doesn't often visit that retreat site, but
then also having all of his cabinet members go with him for this meeting. So, that will be very fascinating to watch, of course, tomorrow.
As for the strikes itself, look, we heard from the United States saying that those strikes were in self-defense, and they argue, the
administration, that it was because Iran was laying or continuing to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Now, just you know, the U.S. said that they shot those boats that they saw were laying these mines. Then we saw Iran retaliate, of course, and then
the U.S. going back to strike some of those missiles launch strikes.
So, all to say, not necessarily, you know, a great development when we know that both sides are really trying to barrel toward this agreement, or at
least, from our understanding, this memorandum of understanding, a framework agreement for a potential deal.
However, I will also say that from all the conversations we've been having with people at the White House, and also if you look at some of their
public statements, it doesn't seem like that exchange of fire yesterday really did much to dampen some of the progress that they are working
toward.
[14:05:00]
We've heard now from a number of top officials. The President, of course, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, all of them continuing to have this level
of optimism, even as we know that there are still some things that need to be hammered out.
SOARES: Yes, let's talk about that progress on some may say, even lack thereof. Because we did hear Secretary Rubio suggesting that there are
disputes, Alayna, over language and wording. Any more detail on what this entails and really what the sticking points might be now.
TREENE: Yes, I mean, from what you've heard from Rubio, it's the same thing we've been hearing in our conversations, Isa, with Trump administration
officials --
SOARES: Yes --
TREENE: Is that a lot of this is now hammering out exact language, and that they're tussling over, as you mentioned, Rubio said, specific wording.
We'll see what that --
SOARES: Yes --
TREENE: Progress can actually reach this week. But as for some of the sticking points, I mean, throughout this entire process, the two main
sticking points have been, of course, their nuclear program, any moratorium on that. But then also, this idea of retrieving the highly-enriched uranium
that Iran has still in its possession.
We did hear from the President on social media, essentially arguing that he might have been shifting his stance on that a bit. Previously, Trump had
repeatedly argued that the U.S. need to go in and retrieve it, take it out of Iran, and then destroy it.
Now, he seems to be open to potentially alternate paths to settling this. He wrote on social media that he could potentially see, you know, the U.S.
destroying it on site with cooperation from the Iranians or having it removed and brought elsewhere to be destroyed.
So, we'll see if that perhaps could unlock. I know what has been such a critical issue that has caused such a stalemate in these negotiations thus
far. So, I think those are things of course, we're still -- we're still seeing them work through.
But again, a lot of optimism that they will be able to get at least this framework. I'd remind you that our reporting has shown that despite this
framework, the entire deal would not be done in such a quick time frame.
They would likely need at least another 60 days or so to really hash out a much more detailed and all-encompassing type of agreement here. But they
are hopeful that they can get that. And from all of the conversations we've been having, they're hoping it could be by the end of this week. Of course,
we'll have to see whether or not --
SOARES: Right --
TREENE: That timeline actually is accurate in the end.
SOARES: A lot of confidence. But we have been here before, so let's see. Thanks very much, Alayna Treene there. Well, I'm very glad to have with us
Aaron David Miller; former Middle East negotiator for the U.S. State Department.
He's also Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Aaron, great to have you back on the show. I'm trying to wrap my head
around, you know, what we are hearing, what we are seeing, because as you heard there from Alayna Treene, we -- there are military strikes on Iran.
We have a ceasefire fraying despite, you know, what we're hearing, optimism from the White House. And in the meantime, as you heard there, President
Trump is convening a meeting at Camp David. What does all this suggest to you?
AARON DAVID MILLER, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: I'm confused and muddled, but let's unpack what we have. Number one,
you have extraordinary fundamental lack of confidence in mistrust.
You have Iranians testing the limits of CENTCOM's response by laying mines, and you have the administration making an unmistakably clear that they're
prepared to go after Iranian Naval assets and launchers. Presumably, those launchers launch missiles at American aircraft or American assets.
So, that's one track. The second track is -- has only two speeds. Number one, slow and slower. And I think it's -- it -- we really need to be very
sober. Here's what we've bought. Assuming the letter of intent or the framework agreement. One page, two-page actually materializes.
What you've done is you bought a ticket to a negotiation that is going to last if it succeeds longer than 30 to 60 days, to hash out all of the
issues that will not be agreed in a framework agreement and a letter of intent. That would include what to do about the highly-enriched uranium at
60 percent, another 30, and you get to bomb grade.
The Iranians have 11 tons of enriched uranium at varying levels. They're going to want sanctions relief. They're going to want their assets now
frozen, unfrozen. You're going to need mutual security guarantees, and then you're going to have to figure out a way to ease reopening of the Straits,
because it is not like turning on a switch on and off and easing the American Naval blockade.
If this works, if it works, and I suspect neither side wants to go back to the battlefield. But if it works --
SOARES: Yes --
MILLER: Where I described it the other day as a negotiation, which will look like root canals every day and a series of migraine headaches, because
the gaps that separate the Trump administration and this Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-controlled regime probably are wider or at least,
as wide as the Grand Canyon.
[14:10:00]
SOARES: And you heard when we were talking about, of course, this memorandum of understanding that Alayna was, you know, talking, speaking to
this because of demands, like you said, they do seem to be shifting. President Trump said today, Aaron, that Iran's enriched uranium will,
quote, "either be immediately turned over to the United States or destroyed in place." I mean, what do you make of this? Is this a concession in your
view?
MILLER: First of all, there is no way that the Iranians are going to turn over to the United States this HUE. The question is --
SOARES: Yes --
MILLER: What are the other options that the administration would accept and the Iranians would agree to? You could dilute it in situ, under the
inspection of the International Atomic Energy Agency, you could ship it out to a third country for what? Either safekeeping or destruction.
But there isn't going to be any direct handoffs. I think the President is making a virtue out of a necessity, because there's no way in any -- in any
reality back here on planet Earth, that the Iranians are going to turn over this material directly to the United States.
The two issues are clear. Number one, what to do about the Straits, and to what degree the Iranians will insist and maintain some form of leverage
surcharge on oil and hydrocarbons. And what to do about Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
It's not just the HUE. It's the fact that the Iranians have the capacity through their advanced centrifuges to continue to produce fissile material,
and they can do it at an industrial --
SOARES: Yes --
MILLER: Scale. They'll have to regroup and rebuild. But those are the two core issues that I think is going to be really tough to get resolution on
both of them.
SOARES: And putting those aside for just a moment, and really, our breaking news that we just brought at the top of the hour. And that's -- I wonder
where you see Aaron, Lebanon fitting in, because we have seen the IDF conducting fresh strikes on Lebanon, as we were reporting in the last 24
hours, Israel moving to a more aggressive posture here, tops, you know, our breaking story in the last few moments.
The IDF is moving beyond that yellow line. Do you think Iran will call for Lebanon to be included in this deal? How would that sit, you think? How
would the discussion be between the U.S. and Prime Minister Netanyahu?
MILLER: Well, my bottom line on Lebanon is this, if in fact, they're close to an agreement that Donald Trump thinks he can sign, that offers him a way
out of this with some measure of respect. And if the Iranians insist on a comprehensive ceasefire, that is to say, an end to Israeli offensive
military actions, I don't know if they'd go as far as to say the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
But if Iran insists on it, and Trump believes that's critically important to getting him out of the box he's now put himself in, I think he'll call
Netanyahu, who desperately -- I can't emphasize it enough, needs Trump's support for the most important thing that's going to happen to this Prime
Minister this year.
And it's not Lebanon, it's not Gaza, it's not the West Bank, it's elections. He needs Donald Trump as --
SOARES: Yes --
MILLER: An active campaigner, a President who is more popular in Israel than he is. If Trump shows daylight or if Netanyahu argues with Trump, and
Trump steps back, he's going to be -- he, the Prime Minister is going to be more vulnerable, more vulnerable.
Trump has maximum leverage between now and October over this Israeli Prime Minister, and he will do as Trump said publicly, no American president has
ever said something like this to an Israeli Prime Minister. He will do what I want him to do. May not be the exact quote, but he gets the essence. It's
really quite remarkable --
SOARES: It does indeed. It does indeed. Look, I always value your insight, Aaron. Thank you very much. Aaron David Miller there joining us from
Washington.
MILLER: Thanks for having me.
SOARES: And you're very welcome. Well, western Europe, if you're anywhere in the continent, it's sweltering amid a deadly, exceptionally early heat
wave. The record for the hottest May temperature in the U.K. has now been broken for two days in a row.
And most of the western Europe is enduring temperatures 10 degrees Celsius to 15 degrees Celsius above normal this week, as the continent grapples
with a powerful heat dome. The heat wave has triggered government warnings about the dangers, of course, it poses as people try to cool down any way
they can.
And we've got team coverage for you. Our Derek Van Dam is standing by. But first, I want to go to Pau Mosquera in Madrid. And Pau, great to see you.
Look, I know Madrid is used to these scorching temperatures, but this is -- I mean, we're still in May. Give us a sense of how people are coping there.
PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's easy, Isa, because we're still three weeks and a half away from the Summer really starting. So, the
temperatures that we are registering in days like today are not usual. They will be more common or typical of months like for example, July.
[14:15:00]
And so, in days like this, what people prefer or choose to do is to come to parks like the Retiro Park that you can see here around me, because they
can shelter from the heat under the shade of the trees, which is actually what we did over the day.
That was the best spot to be. And here we saw how some of them decided to take a nap in the grass parts of the park, or maybe take a good book to
enjoy a read. And it seems like this is a situation that it's going to be repeated over the next days.
Because from the Spanish weather agency, they are forecasting that the heat is going to continue at least until the very end of the week. They are
actually alerting that from tomorrow, and on the thermometer can get up to the 35 degrees Celsius, which is around 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
But Madrid itself is not taking the worst part of this heat-wave, because in some parts of the country, for example, in the southern Sevilla, they
are actually facing the risk to get to 40 degrees Celsius. So, for those who know how the high temperatures feel in the Peninsula, it really hits
and strikes in a way that it's really suffocating to cope with.
So, this means that besides having these temperatures during the day, we're also going to have to get used to start sleeping in the middle of tropical
nights, which means that the mercury won't drop from the 20 degrees Celsius. So, with all that said, Isa, it seems like we're going to get no
easy relief from the heat until the week ends. Isa.
SOARES: Yes, and it does seem people -- that's not putting people off running, as I've just seen a whole bunch of people going past you. But yes,
but that starts a whole host of problems, right? With droughts --
(CROSSTALK)
SOARES: Forest fires -- go ahead, go ahead, Pau.
MOSQUERA: Well, that's it actually --
SOARES: I didn't --
MOSQUERA: We're seeing how many people are deciding to go running on a quite bright, brave of them. Well, it's also because now -- because of the
time of the day --
SOARES: It's probably cooler, right?
MOSQUERA: We have a lot of shades --
SOARES: Exactly --
MOSQUERA: So, yes, it's now a little bit cooler --
SOARES: Yes --
MOSQUERA: Than during the midday, during the noon. Yes.
SOARES: Stay with us, let -- stay with us, Pau. Let me go to Derek Van Dam. And Derek, this is -- do we have Derek, yes, we do. Fantastic. Derek, great
to see you. Look, this is sort of -- we normally start having these conversations, right? Early June-July, we're talking about exceeding
temperatures.
Then we've got droughts, then we have forest fires. We're talking about a heat dome, right? What exactly does that mean?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Isa, this has got the fingerprints of climate change written all over it. I'll get --
SOARES: Yes --
VAN DAM: To what a heat dome is in just a minute. But all of these red dots we've placed on the map here across Europe, these are all-time May record
locations. It has never been this hot in the month of May across dozens of these locations and focusing in across the U.K., because some of the
records that were broken yesterday and once again today, shattered the all- time May record temperature by 2 degrees Celsius.
It's really saying something, considering that only about 5 percent of households in the U.K. have access to air conditioning. Really, if we boil
it down to its brass tacks, the U.K. is built for a climate that no longer exists.
And it's not just the daytime highs that are exceptional, it's the overnight lows that are shattering temperature records as well. The highest
minimum temperature set this morning in the U.K. as well. It's still stifling across western portions of Europe at the moment.
But when we talk about 10 to 15 degrees above average, just for example here in Paris, of course, as a whole, a slew of other cities that have
these record highs well above average. And what is causing this? Well, it has to do with the heat dome.
And basically, you can think of this as a lid of boiling water, right? You've got a kettle with lid on top of it. It is preventing the air from
escaping back into the atmosphere, so, it sinks right back to the surface. And what does it do in response? Well, it heats things up, and that's what
we will continue to see.
This dome of high pressure, this heat dome impacting the weather over the western parts of Europe in the days to come. And believe me, Isa, this
would not be possible without human-influenced climate change. Remember, we're changing the averages of our temperatures, meaning that we experience
heat more frequently.
But the extreme heat days, we're talking about 5 degrees, 10 degrees Celsius above average are going to becoming more common and more extreme as
we head into the future. Isa?
SOARES: Very concerning indeed. Derek, great to see you, our thanks as well if we've still got Pau, to Pau Mosquera in Madrid, thank you, gentlemen,
appreciate it. I do want to stay in Europe because Belgium has been thrown into shock today over horrific crash.
[14:20:00]
Four people including two children were killed after a school minibus was hit by a train in a town not far from Brussels. You can see here the
mangled wreckage of that minibus being taken from the scene. The nightmare unfolded this morning, local time.
Police say the bus appeared to plow through a barrier at a level crossing. They add that the bus driver who was killed in the crash had no previous
convictions. There's a lot of questions you can imagine around this deadly incident.
I want to bring in CNN's Nada Bashir. So, Nada, how much clarity are we getting this hour about what exactly unfolded here?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we certainly have had some updates from police officials over the course of the day. What we do know at this
stage is, of course, that the collision took place shortly after 8:00 a.m. local time.
This appears to have been a mini bus carrying school children, as we understand it, according to officials. Two of those children on that bus
were killed, according to officials, pupils aged 12 and 15 years old. So, they were among the four killed in the deadly collision.
Among them as well, a 27-year-old attendant and, of course, the 49-year-old driver. But there are real questions as to how this could have happened.
What we've heard from police so far is that the safety barriers to prevent cars and traffic from crossing over the tracks as trains are incoming had
actually been lowered, and there had been a red signal preventing traffic. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AN BERGER, SPOKESPERSON, BELGIAN FEDERAL POLICE: At 8:08, a bus, a school bus passed here. It was driving along the railroad. The driver wanted to
cross the railroad which was closed at that time, 8:08. A train came from Bruges and drove into the bus.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do we know if it was a human mistake or maybe a decision by the driver?
BERGER: At this moment, it's too early to say anything. So, the only thing we know is, it was the 8 O'clock, 8:08, and that the rail -- the railway
was closed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASHIR: Now, in terms of whether this was an accident or not, that will obviously be the key line of inquiry for investigators at this stage. We
know that there is a police investigation team on the ground, as well as forensics teams as well.
What they have said about the driver at this stage, as you mentioned, Isa, is that he was not known to have any prior convictions, was also -- did not
test positive for any alcohol or drug substances either.
So, there will be a focus on how this could have occurred. As I mentioned, we heard from rail officials saying that, of course, as the police have
confirmed, those barriers were down, there was light signal preventing oncoming traffic.
So, that will be the key question. Of course, this is now a town grappling with the death of four people. And as we understand it, five other children
who are said to be injured and recovering in hospital, Isa.
SOARES: I know you'll stay across it for us, Nada, thank you very much. Nada Bashir there for us. And still to come tonight, Donald Trump received
his annual check-up today. We'll look at the health concerns surrounding the nearly 80-year-old U.S. President. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Everything checked out perfectly. That's what Donald Trump says about the physical exam he received today at Walter
Reed Hospital. It's the fourth time he has seen a doctor since being inaugurated.
The oldest U.S. President in history. But despite his assurances, the checkup comes amid rising questions about the President's physical as well
as mental health. Mr. Trump, who turns 80 in a few weeks, has been seen repeatedly falling asleep during events at the White House, and reporters
have noticed swollen ankles and bruised hands.
He had a CT scan in October, which the White House says the -- he was -- says was to assess from what we understand, his cardiovascular health.
Let's bring in CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sanjay, great to have you on the show.
I mean, what do we know about the President's health? He seems to think everything checked out perfectly. I mean, he is the oldest elected
President. What do we --
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes --
SOARES: Know?
GUPTA: Well, we know what they tell us, and I -- and I don't mean to sound glib, but that's kind of all we really know, obviously, you can see with
your own eyes. You just showed some clips of some concerns about him falling asleep.
We've seen his hands and his ankles, things like that. But, you know, since I've been reporting on him, covering him, you know, for however many years
now, ten years, you know, you hear these statements from his physicians who talk about how healthy he is.
That one doctor said he could live to be 200 years old. So, we're always sort of taking that sort of information and trying to contextualize it for
people. So, if you go back to April of last year, for example, we got very little information that came out of that physical exam visit.
His age, his weight, his blood pressure, a little elevated, minor sun damage to his skin, and this cognitive assessment screening test, which he
said he got a 30 out of 30 on. We know he takes certain medications mostly for preventing heart problems.
He also takes aspirin from a family history standpoint. We know his father passed away of Alzheimer's disease at age 93, and had symptoms for a few
years before that. But that's pretty much it. You know, I will say that in addition to the April visit, as you mentioned, he had other visits to
Walter Reed.
Some of them not announced. And you know, that's significant from a medical standpoint, because Walter Reed is a -- is a hospital that can do all sorts
of testing. But the White House itself can do a lot of testing as well.
So, at the point where the President decides to go to Walter Reed, it's usually for more significant advanced testing. And we'll see what the
readout is later today or tomorrow.
SOARES: Interesting because there has, as you well know, Sanjay, there has been a lot made of the bruising of the --
GUPTA: Yes --
SOARES: Blotches. I don't know if you want to call that. I don't think that's a scientific term that we've seen on Trump's hands. And what we've
heard from the President is that because he takes aspirin, what do you make of that?
GUPTA: Yes, this is a good example. So, you know, first of all, people are sometimes recommended aspirin if they've had a heart problem and they're
trying to prevent another heart problem. But at the same time as I just mentioned, they've said he's never had any heart problems.
So, it does raise the question, why is he taking aspirin? And by the way, aspirin can be problematic, especially in elderly people because of the
concerns about bleeding or bruising, perhaps like you see on his hands. The second question is why such a high dose?
If people take aspirin to help prevent problems, it's usually 81milligrams. Instead, he's taking a dose that's four times that, a 325 milligram adult
aspirin versus a baby aspirin. So, you know, there's a lot that just doesn't quite track there.
I will say if someone is taking aspirin, they've shaking hands a lot. Could they get bruising on their hands? Yes, that could track. He does have
bruising on his left hand as well though to some extent. So, you see -- you see the picture I'm trying to paint for you here. It gets a bit confusing -
-
SOARES: Yes --
GUPTA: Trying to conclude anything from all this.
SOARES: What we do know, and I was reading about this today, is that the President was diagnosed with chronic venous --
GUPTA: Yes --
SOARES: Insufficiency, pardon me --
GUPTA: Yes --
SOARES: In July, right? What do you make of that? What is it first of all, just tell our viewers what that is --
GUPTA: Yes --
SOARES: And how concerning that may be.
GUPTA: Yes, so what it is basically, your heart is pumping blood, it goes into all the blood vessels. Eventually your veins return that blood back to
the heart. If your veins become compromised or they're not able to push the blood back as well, blood can start or fluid can start to pool in your legs
and in your feet.
[14:00:01]
You can see on the screen there, you know, it's relatively common. One in twenty adults, usually more common in people over the age of 50. Anyone who
has taken a long plane ride may have seen some swelling in their feet or ankles afterwards. It's sort of that problem, except chronically, meaning
it's occurring all the time.
Chronic venous insufficiency in and of itself is probably nothing to be alarmed about, but I think part of the reason they're focused on is heart
is because if someone's heart function starts to diminish a bit then that can lead to pooling of fluid as well.
So, again, hopefully we'll hear more about that later today as a result of this physical exam, but if it's chronic venous insufficiency, that is a
relatively common thing.
SOARES: And while -- you mention the heart, I've got one more question for you on this because we know that in October, the president of course had
advanced imaging performed on his heart. What were those scans, what did we find?
DR. GUPTA: Again, I feel like I've got to give a little background on all these things, but that was done in October. We didn't hear anything about
that until December. First, they came out and said it was an MRI scan, and then they said it was a CT scan. At first, they didn't even tell us what
part of his body was being imaged and they didn't tell us what type of scan specifically. It was very confusing.
And again, we're talking about the president of the United States. To not know specifically what scan or what part of the body, but it was ultimately
a CT scan done of the heart, and what they said was that it was perfectly normal and revealed absolutely no abnormalities at that time. So, if the
language sounds familiar, Isa, it's because I think you're likely to hear some of that same language later today.
SOARES: While I have you here very briefly, Sanjay, you covered other presidents, this sort of vagueness when it comes to his health, is that
normal for previous presidents?
DR. GUPTA: You know, what I -- this is unusually vague, and also unusually sort of different in terms of the language doctors use. Living to 200,
healthiest president in the history of, you know, the country, stuff like that, that's not how medical people usually speak.
I will say, you know, even if you go back to President Obama, you know, it was never more than a couple of paragraphs that you'd get at the end of a
visit. And there's no requirement in the United States, as you probably know, for presidents to disclose anything about their health information.
So, we're sort of balancing the lack of requirement and trying to get as much information as we possibly can.
SOARES: Really appreciate it. Thank you, Sanjay.
DR. GUPTA: You got it.
SOARES: Sanjay Gupta there for us. And still to come tonight, Israel ramps up its military ground operation in Lebanon, how the move raises the stakes
in the fight against Hezbollah and threatens to derail peace talks between the U.S. and Iran. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:35:00]
SOARES: U.S. airstrikes and Iranian threats of retaliation may be pushing a very fragile ceasefire to the breaking point. Complicating it all, Israel's
push deeper inside Lebanon, one day after Tehran reiterated one of its key demands that the war ends on all fronts. An Israeli military official tells
CNN the IDF is now conducting military activity north of the so-called Yellow Line, which has served as the limit on IDF ground operations. We are
also hearing reports of Israel repeatedly striking a road near Lebanon's largest dam, raising concerns over damage to a critical civilian facility.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump is set to hold a Cabinet meeting on Iran on Wednesday. But pivotal sticking points remain, including control of
the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran's nuclear weapons program.
Our International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson joins me now here in London. So, Nic, we have Iran's IRGC saying it has now a legitimate right
to respond to the violation of its ceasefire. The U.S. said the strikes were in self-defense, and now we have IDF pushing deeper into Lebanon, past
the Yellow Line. What are you hearing? You've had the ear, of course, you've been speaking to a lot of people in Islamabad, they have been
mediating this. What are you hearing diplomatically right now?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: You know, I think perhaps Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave the best insight to that, at
least the best public insight we've had so far, and he said, look, we're working on words, maybe a sentence, it's going to be a few more days.
So, we can take that at face value, is what my sources are saying, that although the mediators from Pakistan got the Iranians to a position to
agree what was the framework for this memorandum of understanding with the United States, it still really comes down to President Trump being ready to
actually sign it. And it's not clear when it's going to be signed, and it's not clear where it will be signed.
But I don't think anyone is panicking at this stage that the incidents last night, the U.S. attacking missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz,
attacking small Iranian speedboats that they say were laying mines, and the Iranians, for their part, claim that they fired at a Reaper drone, that
they fired at an F-35, a U.S. fighter jet. Not clear if that happened or not.
That said, you know, we've seen this before several weeks ago, about three weeks ago, there was an uptick in violence, but everyone stuck to the
ceasefire because they were sort of the eyes on the prize of the sort of political diplomatic prize, and that still seems to be where we're at.
But, and as you mentioned there, Hezbollah, you mentioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that it's doubling down on the strikes against
Hezbollah inside of Lebanon. We've seen Hezbollah try to sort of distance themselves from the, you know, from the agreement that Lebanon, the
Lebanese government, of course, totally separate to Hezbollah, in many ways agreed with Israel.
And Hezbollah -- when Hezbollah takes that position, they're doing it because they're a proxy of the Iranian government. So, you can read the
situation in Lebanon in two ways. One is it's another way to derail this fragile peace process that's underway, this sort of getting to the signing
of a memorandum of understanding and getting to detailed discussions. You could look at it that potentially Israel derails the situation, or that it
is Iran trying to turn up the heat on the conflict there. It wants a ceasefire and its proxy, Hezbollah, protected inside of Lebanon as part of
any bigger and broader deal.
So, these -- all these tensions, until you get to that signing, until you move forward to the next phase of talks, and even then, this is still in
the background, they can get derailed. But at the moment, from what I understand, and I think, look, all eyes are going to be on President Trump
at Camp David with his cabinet. It is on him right now to find a way to say, we're going to move forward with this. I've tweaked the words, I'm
good with it, or not. And the worry would be, obviously, in the region, not, because that would potentially mean return to war.
SOARES: Yes. We shall see --
ROBERTSON: We don't seem to be there, though.
SOARES: Indeed, it seems neither side want that, but we shall see, of course, what comes out of those talks at Camp David. Good to see you, Nic.
Thank you very much.
[14:40:00]
Well, the U.S. and E.U. diplomatic missions in Kyiv say they're staying put, and this follows a warning from Moscow that diplomatic staff and
foreign nationals in the Ukrainian capital need to get out as soon as possible.
Russian media report Moscow has told the U.S. systematic strikes will be used against military facilities in Kyiv after a massive weekend
bombardment on the city that used a hypersonic ballistic missile, and we were discussing this yesterday. This may be retaliation for Ukraine's
effective use of drones. Russia accuses Kyiv of hitting civilians, as Kyiv boasts of attacks on Russian training camps, command centres and oil and
gas sites. Our Nick Paton Walsh has been getting a look at Ukraine's Deep Strike drone unit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): President Trump once said Ukraine had no cards, but now
they've built themselves a new deck. We're now with perhaps Russia's most keenly sought target in the war, a deep strike Ukrainian drone unit
launching this night a wave of 200 attack drones into Russia.
WALSH: The issue here is the scale, potentially 20 drones being launched just from here and three or four other locations around here also involved
in tonight's attack. The sheer number overwhelming, it seems, much of Russia's air defenses and causing persistent embarrassment to the Kremlin.
WALSH (voice-over): Working fast in silence, knowing an error with the fuel or explosives or launch could kill them all.
WALSH: They are a key target for the Russian Shahed drones flying overhead, constantly interrupting their work, which is going to go on all night.
WALSH (voice-over): Close to here, Russian strikes have just hit Ukrainian civilians. And in Russian Stavropol, these Ukrainian drones hit. The mayor
telling Russians there to stay indoors.
In another field, another technological leap is at work. Jet boosters used to get drones to their 120 mile an hour speed in just seconds. At their
base, one screen is a glimpse of a world order turned on its head. Dozens of Ukrainian drones roaming inside Russia, code coordinates, targets, A.I.
powered, pulsing on the screen faster than your eyes can read. Russia, often seen as the third largest military power, preyed upon by a series of
laptops.
VECTOR, DEEP STRIKE COMMANDER, UKRAINIAN DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE: It's our biggest advantage and why it's so hard for Russia to destroy this program,
because we split up. We don't have any common centers and we use dozens of places. Also, the software gives us a chance to work with thousands of
UAVs.
WALSH (voice-over): The Liutyi drone can take a huge payload over 1,200 miles. There are decoys and a jet powered drone, they say, seems to appear
like a rocket on Russian radar.
VECTOR: Those are decoys. We sent hundreds of them. Some are empty, some with a payload. The payload is small, but it's enough to destroy air
defense systems.
WALSH (voice-over): It is dizzying, the speed of evolution, adaptation, ingenuity. Ukraine two years ago, begging for old American missiles to hit
just inside Russia's borders. But now it builds itself and launches so many drones, often as deep as Russian Siberia, even Kremlin loyalists are
questioning Putin's endgame.
Now, the West wants to learn from what Ukraine had to do to survive when it didn't get the help it needed. Each leap, advantage, lasts just months
before the other side catches up.
Ukraine is ahead for now, but only because it's learned it'll likely be on its own when it's not.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Eastern Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:00]
SOARES: Well, a rescue effort is underway in Laos to rescue seven villagers stuck in caves. It's believed they became trapped after flooding sealed off
the exits. As CNN's Mike Valerio reports, local teams are getting help from international experts who've pulled off this type of high-risk rescue
before.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rescue teams squeeze through narrow, flooded tunnels in rural Laos. Their goal, reaching seven people
trapped underground for almost a week.
We're told local villagers often visit the site to search for gold deposits. Videos recorded by rescue divers from Thailand show them
navigating a more than 1,000-foot-long tunnel. For most of the way, they have to crawl. In some places, they have to submerge completely to find a
way through.
One of the groups coordinating the rescue says that at its narrowest point, the tunnel measures just 23 inches. Outside, other team members run cables
through a gap between the rocks to guide rescuers to its lower reaches. Three divers from the crew were involved in the dramatic 2018 cave rescue
of 12 Thai boys and their football coach.
VALERIO: No word on this latest incident from Laos Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Southeast Asian nation is a one-party communist state that
often closely regulates the release of information.
Mike Valerio, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, joining me now is John Volanthen. He's a diving officer for the British Cave Rescue Council. He also played a key role in the 2018 Tham
Luang, Thailand cave rescue. John, good to have you on the show. As you said there, you played a key role in that dramatic, of course, we all
remember, cave rescue in Thailand back in 2018. What do you make of the operation we're seeing right now in Laos?
JOHN VOLANTHEN, DIVING OFFICER FOR THE BRITISH CAVE RESCUE COUNCIL AND PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN 2018 THAILAND CAVE RESCUE: Every cave rescue is
different because every cave is different. And so, the challenges that are faced in Laos are very different to those that we faced in Thailand.
The cave is very much smaller, as was reported. In some cases, it's crawling or almost body size only. So, that presents its own difficulties.
But it also presents other possibilities where pumping may be more effective, for instance. So, each cave rescue is different. And it's
important to tailor the solutions that the rescuers come up with to meet the challenges of that particular cave.
SOARES: And, John, what do you know? What is your understanding about this particular cave system? How deep or narrow? Any kind of information that
you can give us on this? Try to get an understanding of the challenges, of course, they face.
VOLANTHEN: My understanding is that the cave is about 300 meters in length. But much of that is relatively, in our terms, small cave. So, it's about
body size. The water in the cave is being pumped out. But the visibility in that water would be almost zero. It's very muddy and silty. The monsoon
also is an issue. It's on the same latitude as the Tham Luang Cave. And it's roughly the same time of year.
And so, the weather is what's perhaps caused this problem. But it's also, again, there's pressure because the weather is supposed to turn in the next
few days. So, there's a significant time pressure as well as the issues that the cave itself presents.
[14:50:00]
SOARES: Yes. and the rain, like you said, making the task clearly significantly harder. And from what we understand, John, is that the group
went in there in the cave in search of gold. We do not know if they're related in any way to any mine company or anything like that.
But they've now been trapped there for a week. How long do -- and I hate to have to ask this question, but how do you survive this long, or are
rescuers fearing the worst now?
VOLANTHEN: So, in any rescue incident, we would always hope for the best and act as though we're on a rescue until we know otherwise. So, I'm sure
everyone on site is incredibly positive. The cave is very warm, so it's very possible to survive for a significant period of time underground.
There's water to drink. It might not be particularly clean, but it's still possible to survive without food for a very significant period of time. So,
it is possible, hopefully, that the people are still alive and trapped beyond what we're told is hopefully now a very short flooded section that
will hopefully be breached quite soon.
SOARES: And here's hoping. Here's hoping, John. And very briefly, I mean, what should we be looking out for in the next 24 hours, 48 hours or so,
John?
VOLANTHEN: I think all we can do is put our trust in the people that are on site and hope that things progress and that the weather doesn't worsen.
That's really the key thing, I think.
SOARES: Yes, it doesn't seem -- I mean, I don't know what you've heard, but this rain seems to be persisting. How does that then complicate matters if
you're trying to be effective, if time is of the essence here?
VOLANTHEN: In a cave that is as small as the one in Laos where these people are trapped, it's very difficult to dive people out. And that will be quite
a high-risk operation if it's possible at all. So, hopefully the pumping will be effective. And pumping is only effective if you can take out of the
cave more water than is flowing into it from inlets or other sources. So, the longer the rain holds off, the less water floods in the cave and the
more chance there is of pumping, if that's possible at all.
SOARES: Here's hoping for some good news. John Volanthen. Thank you very much, John, for coming on the show, joining us there from Bristol.
We are going to take a short break. See you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:55:00]
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Ferrari has unveiled its first fully electric car. Have a look at this. The Luce, which in Italian means light
and the colloquial word for electricity, was developed with the help of former Apple design chief Jony Ive and his collective love from. It's the
luxury sports car maker's first ever 5-seater, and it has a range of over 500 kilometers. This comes as competitors, including Porsche and
Lamborghini, scale back their EV ambitions. The price tag you're all wondering right now? A mere $640,000.
Well, fresh off their American Music Award for Artist of the Year, K-pop superstars BTS have announced a sweet new collaboration. The group is
teaming up with Oreo for a limited-edition cookie. It will be filled with a sweet cream to taste like hotteok. That's a brown sugar stuffed pancake
popular in South Korea. The outside of the cookies you could see will be purple in those 13 different designs. The BTS cookie will be on sale June
the 1st and it will be available in more than 80 countries for all of that. Those of you who love your chocolate.
And that does it for us for another busy hour. Thank you very much for your company. Do you stay right here? "What We Know" with Max Foster is up next.
Have a wonderful evening.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
