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Isa Soares Tonight
President Trump Touts Productive Conversations With Both Israel And Hezbollah; Rescuers In Laos Race Against Time As They Try To Locate The Last 2 Men Trapped In A Flooded Cave Network; Countdown To The Start Of The FIFA World Cup Just 10 Days Away; Trump: Spoke With Israeli PM, IDF Won't Go To Beirut; Iran: Halting Talks With U.S. Over Israel's Lebanon Strikes; Final Preparations In U.S., Mexico And Canada Ahead Of Kickoff; Colombia's Presidential Election. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired June 01, 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, President Trump touts productive
conversations with both Israel and Hezbollah. And says the two sides have agreed to stop the hostilities. We'll have more on that breaking news for
you in just a moment.
Then, it's a race against time for rescuers in Laos as they try to locate the last two men trapped in a flooded cave network. Plus, just in case
you're counting, we're just ten days away from the start of the FIFA World Cup.
We'll take a look at how the teams are shaping up, have that and much more for you ahead this hour. I do want to begin the hour though with breaking
news because U.S. President Donald Trump claims Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to keep IDF forces from Beirut.
Minutes ago, the President posting this online message that Netanyahu told him by phone, there will be no troops going to the Lebanese capital, as you
can see there. He says he also spoke with Hezbollah, and they quote, "agreed that all shooting will stop."
Let me take a step back. Earlier, Iran said it's suspending talks with the U.S. over Israel's military campaign in Lebanon. That was according -- that
is according to Iranian media. Meantime, Israel issued evacuation orders after Mr. Netanyahu ordered strikes on a southern Beirut suburb, and this
expansion would be Israel's deepest incursion into Lebanon in a quarter of a century.
Iran's Foreign Minister tie negotiations with the U.S. to Israel's military action in Lebanon, as you can see there on X, writing, "the ceasefire
between Iran and the U.S. is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon. The ceasefires in both Iran and Lebanon appear to be
truces, as you know, in name only.
Let's get more on this breaking news. Oren Liebermann joins me now from Jerusalem, our Kristen Holmes is at the White House. So, Kristen, let me go
first to you because complete honesty, I'm getting a bit of a whiplash at this moment.
We've heard from the President on Truth Social. He also said talks are continuing at a rapid pace, he said with the Islamic Republic of Iran. So,
tell us more, what you understand happened between this call, between the President of course, and Prime Minister Netanyahu.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, and just to go back a little bit, I mean, just one hour ago, President Trump was asked in an
"NBC" interview about the idea that Iran was halting these negotiations, and said he knew nothing about it.
It hadn't been communicated to him, and that it wouldn't be bad if they were, in fact, halted, saying that he believed that there was too much
talking between the two sides. Maybe one of the sides should go silent. Although, he did reiterate that this didn't mean that they were going to
start or resume dropping bombs in Iran, but instead that maybe they were going to take some kind of cooling off period.
But now, of course, you have President Trump out there on Truth Social in an official statement, saying, as you noted, talks are continuing at a
rapid pace. So, clearly, going back on this idea that he didn't know, and that this pause might go into place.
As we know, the two of the -- these two leaders did have a phone call conversation. All of this, in fact, centered around this idea that Iran
would halt negotiations if can -- if Israel continued its attacks on Lebanon.
And I'm going to read you this part, it says of -- talked to Bibi Netanyahu and says, "and there will be no troops going to Beirut or/and any troops
that are on the way have already been turned back." So, clearly, this was the top line of this conversation with Netanyahu.
It does feel as though when you talk about whiplash, we're in the same place that we are in every day moving forward. We talk about this --
SOARES: Yes --
HOLMES: Idea that there's a negotiation, it's going well. Both sides say they see an end or light at the end of the tunnel, only to have it jerked
back, jerked forward, jerked back. The question is now, you know, where exactly do these negotiations stand?
And it's unclear if we've moved anywhere beyond what happened on Friday, which was President Trump reviewing this memorandum, and then sending it
back, saying he wanted tougher language on nuclear. He wanted stricter language on the opening or reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
And now, the ball is in Iran's court. That is what we are unclear of at this moment. If we've moved beyond that point, other than all of what we're
seeing, which is trading shots with Iran. Iran saying through their state media that they are going to halt negotiations, the U.S. saying they don't
care.
[14:05:00]
They can continue the blockade forever if that's what Iran wants. But the actual nitty-gritty behind the scenes, that's where we're trying to get to
right now. What exactly -- what is the status of that MOU right now? And what does that mean for the negotiations? Not just all that's playing out
publicly.
SOARES: Yes, huge questions, of course, two steps forward, five steps back. You know, it is major whiplash not just for us trying to keep on top
of this, but also for our viewers right around the world. Many may say, well, this is diplomacy at work.
Let me go to, Oren. Oren, let me get your take, of course, because we've just seen from President Trump saying he had a very productive call, he
said, with Netanyahu, there will be no troops going to Beirut and any troops that are on their way have already been turned back.
Of course, Israeli Prime Minister today instructing the Israeli military to strike Beirut's Dahiya District, right? So, how is this -- what are you
hearing, first of all, from Netanyahu's side? And how would this sit domestically with the population, and of course, the messaging out of
Netanyahu's office?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: So, a couple points here to make. First, there was never an expectation that ground forces or troops
were on their way to Beirut. The announcement this morning from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister, was that, there would
be airstrikes in Beirut.
And that came out at about 10:30 in the morning local time, with an evacuation warning for the Dahiya neighborhood, the southern suburb of
Beirut, coming several hours after that. What we have not seen in the ten- and-a-half hours since that message came was an actual strike on Beirut.
We did see a strike on the city of Tyre, that according to Lebanese state media, killed two there. But we haven't seen the promised or announced
strikes on Beirut. And that led to speculation that it was, in fact, the U.S. that had put these on hold or paused these.
And given the statement we just saw from President Donald Trump, that very much looks like what's playing out right now as he effectively announces an
immediate ceasefire here, even if it's on frozen lines with Israel occupying some more of southern Lebanon as the forces have pushed deeper
there.
Now, we haven't seen a statement from Netanyahu at this point, even though he's already under attack. He'd been under domestic pressure to carry out
strikes farther in Lebanon to strike the capital of Beirut as we've seen Hezbollah rockets and drones not only injure and kill Israeli troops, but
reach -- start reaching farther into Israel.
His former Defense Minister, who now sits in the opposition, when this message came out, said, well, this isn't -- this isn't a Prime Minister,
this is a puppet accusing him of basically doing whatever it is that Trump wants him to do.
Netanyahu knows well that if he wants to continue in Lebanon, he needs Trump's approval. And it's really only Trump that has the leverage to put
his foot down and say, stop or enough. And it may well be that that's what happened here.
Now, Isa, it's worth pointing out that this statement came out just minutes ago, about 30 minutes ago, there was a statement warning of --
SOARES: Yes --
LIEBERMANN: Incoming fire from Hezbollah. But Trump's message on Truth Social had not yet come out. We need to see how this is going to play out.
But once again, this could well be Trump just forcing Israel's hand here and saying, you're done.
SOARES: Yes, let me pick up on the comment that you made, of course, regarding Hezbollah, because President Trump did say through highly-placed
representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop.
Give us a sense of how likely that is to have happened, that conversation, because as we have seen, you and I have spoken the last few weeks, the tit-
for-tat, there's been a ceasefire in place all in everything, but name, because we've seen the tit-for-tat between both sides continuing even
today.
LIEBERMANN: Very much an escalating tit-for-tat. It would certainly --
SOARES: Yes --
LEIBERMANN: Be interesting, though, to know who his -- who his representatives are. That being said, the Trump administration has not
hesitated when it sees the need to talk to Hamas, to talk to Iran, even if it's through mediators.
And it seems now to talk to Hezbollah again, even if it's through some mediator or some sort of representative. The conversations the Trump
administration is simply willing to have them. If Hezbollah -- if Hezbollah's demands are met, that is, if Israeli strikes stop, then it's
not out of the question that Hezbollah stops.
So, it's not impossible that a Trump Truth has just announced a ceasefire. But again, it's still very early here. And as we've seen so many times, it
almost feels like week after week here, these ceasefires, even if they exist in name, can fall apart in reality pretty quickly.
SOARES: Indeed, we'll keep an eye, of course, I know you will, continue to be following any latest lines from Prime Minister Netanyahu. Thank you very
much, our Oren Liebermann and our Kristen Holmes there at the White House.
I do want to stick with the story. I want to get the view from Beirut now and welcome Ronnie Chatah; the host of "The Beirut Banyan" podcast. Ronnie,
great to have you on the show. Look, I was going to ask you about the conversations we've had of Tehran, of course, over the suspending of talks
with the U.S.
[14:10:00]
But now we've had this Truth Social, as you just heard us discussing with our teams on the ground, both in Washington and in Jerusalem over this
conversation with President Trump that he's had with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Just what do you make, first of all, of the move by Iran to come
out and say, look, we're going to stop all conversations with U.S. And this -- if this was the tactic, if this was a negotiating tactic from them -- by
them.
RONNIE CHATAH, HOST, THE BEIRUT BANYAN PODCAST: Well, I think there's two things happening at once. First, Iran desperately wants to preserve what it
built in Lebanon over the past four-and-a-half decades, and thus, Hezbollah as it serves the Iranian regime's interests.
On the other side, you have an emphasis on diplomacy. That's Trump-led administration diplomacy, which is ongoing between the Lebanese and Israeli
ambassadors. Last week, you also had security meetings at the Pentagon.
There's an emphasis that the Americans do not want the Israelis to derail their diplomatic efforts. Hence, this Truth Social post. Clearly, the
intermediary is Nabih Berri; Speaker of Parliament in Lebanon, who has relations with Hezbollah and also talks to American officials, too.
So, you have that dynamic at play. But there is an emphasis at the moment of a ceasefire. All parties in different ways want a ceasefire. The
question is, what does the status quo look like long term? How does this reconfigure?
SOARES: Yes --
CHATAH: And that hasn't been agreed to on the Israeli side, they want Hezbollah disarmed. On the Lebanese side, the Lebanese government wants to
put a ceasefire as its priority prior to any negotiations or dialogue or whatever it can do with trying to disarm Hezbollah in the background.
If a regional deal with Iran that hasn't yet gone into effect, but clearly, Iran is not willing to let go of Hezbollah. And clearly, the Americans
don't want this to derail what they're trying to do in Washington. It's all happening in real time.
SOARES: Such great points you have in so many great points, you have, Ronnie, there. Let me take a step back and just bring up the Truth Social
comment we've heard. I'm going to get my producer, Anna, to bring that up from President, which was what? In the last 35 minutes or so, saying he had
a productive call with Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Said no troops -- there will be no troops going into Beirut, and any troops that are on their way have already been turned back. He also said, I had a
very good call through highly-placed representatives with Hezbollah.
Give us a sense of who exactly he'll be talking to, and do you think, Ronnie, the U.S. and Israel have underestimated how central Lebanon is to
Iran's position? Just speak to that.
CHATAH: Well, let me start by saying that or suggesting that I doubt the Israelis --
SOARES: Yes --
CHATAH: Would send troops into Beirut like they did in the 1980s. I sense that the push beyond the yellow line, which is what they did in the past 36
hours, four days or so, that is a de facto reality happening, which is the Israelis have extended their occupation of southern Lebanon.
What Donald Trump is referring to has less to do with what the Israelis are doing in the south, more to do with maybe a symbolic gesture, in that the
Lebanese government would find it very difficult to negotiate with the Israelis in the State Department, as the Israelis keep bombing or threaten
to bomb.
And today, in particular, evacuation orders in southern Beirut, thousands of Lebanese fleeing once more. That's not the kind of atmosphere you want
when you're trying to produce a ceasefire. But when it comes to Iran, and that's in a way that is really the story.
What does Iran want from Lebanon? The U.S.-Iranian negotiations, this regional deal that has yet to take into effect, Lebanon is a sticking point
for the Iranian regime. Iran wants a ceasefire on their terms. Iran wants to preserve Hezbollah.
We're not sure how much attention America is willing to invest on Lebanon this round, to see that as a concern for them. In other words, how far are
they willing to go to really pressure the Lebanese government to find a solution to Hezbollah's weapons? I'm not sure there is one.
And if the -- if the attention span is short, you may see a stabilization where Hezbollah remains armed, and the Israelis remain in southern Lebanon
with drones buzzing over Beirut, with strikes across Lebanon. That's how Lebanon emerged after the civil war.
That's how Lebanon lasted for a full decade until Israel's withdrawal in 2000. We may well, affect -- be returning to that status quo. The biggest
loser in that story is the Lebanese state. No sovereignty --
SOARES: Yes --
CHATAH: Permanent war zone and prospects for reconstruction very slim. It's not the kind of place you want to invest in long term. The casualty
this round really could be, the Lebanese state.
[14:15:00]
SOARES: Yes. And we were saying you heard our correspondent, you know, seeing Hezbollah continuing to fire back as Israel -- this, of course,
Ronnie, as Lebanon and the Lebanese government continue, as we've spoken about before, continue this diplomatic push with Israel.
On the ground, though, what is the reality? Is the Lebanese government pushing Hezbollah? Has there been any action against Hezbollah? You were
talking about how much pressure, of course, from the United States. What about from the Lebanese government itself? What are you seeing? Have you
seen any movement at all?
CHATAH: I can't point at any significant movement by the Lebanese state or the Lebanese army. And trying to change how it addresses what Hezbollah is,
which is a security leverage proxy militia for Iran. There is no movement on the ground.
On the contrary, there's actually a de facto acceptance that the ceasefire must take hold, and then talk about Hezbollah once more. That's returning
to the status quo that existed prior to this round of fighting. That's really the gravity of where Lebanese officials are.
But the language has changed. The discourse by the Lebanese President, Prime Minister and the cabinet at large, there's a -- in a way, it's an
illegitimate sub-state group as it exists with its weapons. It's been declared so that their weapons are illegitimate.
There has been pressure against Iran, albeit symbolically, whether it's at the U.N. or locally. The Iranian ambassador is persona non grata. He's in
the Iranian embassy. He is not the Iranian ambassador. But these are very small gestures compared to what the Lebanese government, at least, in
principle, should be doing, which is regaining full control over its geography.
It appears like there is no Lebanese solution to Hezbollah. Now, that said, the last two times we've had this type of escalation in serious war between
Hezbollah and Israel, or for that matter, prior to Hezbollah in the 1980s, there was an international presence and international attention, and at
times, peacekeepers.
In the mid-1980s and a UNIFIL force that was bolstered in southern Lebanon in 2006. My bet is that international action and a form of international
protection is the only viable path to diminishing and, in a way, finding a peaceful outcome for what Iran built in Lebanon. Direct confrontation
between the Lebanese army and Hezbollah seems extremely unlikely.
SOARES: Ronnie, always fascinating to talk to you. Great insight. Thank you very much, Ronnie Chatah there live for us in Beirut. Well, I'm going
to leave this breaking news, of course, we will return to it in about 20 minutes or so for more analysis from our diplomatic editor.
I want to turn to Laos, though, because a desperate race against time to find two men still trapped in a flooded cave network. And it comes as the
focus shifts to a newly-discovered cave shaft and amid possible signs of life.
A rescuer tells CNN, they have heard knocking sounds in response to signals. But another member of the rescue team says the sounds could have
been made by bats or even the wind. Five villagers are recovering in hospital after making it out, if you remember, the cave last week. Our Mike
Valerio has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, the day on Monday began with a healthy, cautious dose of optimism after rescuers started knocking
on the cave walls, hoping to hear a response in return, potentially from the two people who are still missing.
They heard something during some of those moments when they were knocking on the cave walls, but by nightfall on Monday, one member of the team told
CNN, it was unclear what the sounds were, and it was absolutely not the case that they heard knocking. Let's listen to what he said.
JOSH RICHARDS, CAVE DIVER: There has been a lot of reporting suggesting that we heard knocking back. That is absolutely not true. I had my ear to
that hole as best I could, listening, and there was definitely something unusual that I couldn't identify.
Now, that could have been bats. That could have been the wind coming in. A lot of these caves have fissures through them as well, were very unusual
sounds coming down from below. They didn't necessarily sound rhythmic.
They didn't sound like there were echoes or anything like that. But there has been a lot of reporting, saying, oh, we heard knocking. That is
absolutely not the case.
VALERIO: So, what does the team now? Well, new reporting from our colleague, Will Ripley, who is on the scene, is conveying that they will
potentially look at new tunnels that they have discovered, not one, but four, where they could hopefully, potentially get to the two men who still
remain missing.
It is a very difficult enterprise to figure out where the two men are, because they didn't enter at the same time as the other people who made it
out of the cave so far. They took a different route and they went into the cave system earlier before the men who have managed to make it out of that
cave system.
[14:20:00]
Also, an air pocket where the two men could be, according to members of the rescue team, it is tighter and more unpleasant than the crevasses, than the
spaces that rescuers have had to move through so far. So, certainly, the operation is not over, but challenges certainly still remain. Mike Valerio,
CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, the head of the World Health Organization is meeting with the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo to discuss the Ebola
outbreak. Tedros Ghebreyesus told CNN that the virus can be brought under control with immediate support from the international community to avoid
the level seen, if you remember, in 2014.
At least, 42 people have died and nearly 300 cases have been confirmed in the DRC so far. Though there's optimism after four nurses and a lab worker
recovered from the disease -- that is according to the W.H.O. Our chief international correspondent, Clarissa Ward traveled to an Ebola clinic in
the DRC, and shows us firsthand the measures health workers -- care workers, I should say, are having to take to treat patients with the virus.
Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): We are now getting ready to go into the so-called red zone of this hospital. That
is the area where all suspected Ebola patients are put, and there is a lot of protective gear unsurprisingly, that one needs to wear to go inside.
One of the things that makes this so challenging for these healthcare workers is that it becomes unbearably hot --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes --
WARD: To wear these for honestly, even just 10 or 15 minutes. It's actually quite hard to breathe normally in these things. OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, now --
WARD: OK, they go -- another pair of gloves.
(Voice-over): He tells me to pull the gloves over the sleeves of the suit.
(On camera): Ebola is not actually airborne. It's contracted through fluids, but still, healthcare workers have to take absolutely every
precaution before they can treat the patients. Because, of course, to treat the patients, they need to touch them.
(Voice-over): The doctors write our names on our backs so they can recognize us, and then it's time to go in.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Our Clarissa Ward there in the DRC, we'll continue to follow her reporting from the ground. And still to come tonight, new clashes outside a
New Jersey Immigration and Customs Enforcement site. We'll tell you why police arrested a group of protesters on Sunday.
Plus, Colombia's presidential race goes to a runoff. We're live in Bogota with the results from Sunday's vote, and what we should look out for ahead
of the next round. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
SOARES: New clashes between police and protesters outside a New Jersey Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE facility. Police arrested a
group of demonstrators who were out after a newly-imposed curfew. For days, people have gathered outside Delaney Hall to protest alleged inhumane
conditions inside the detention site.
Let's get more from our Brynn Gingras, who joins us now from CNN in New York. So, Brynn, just bring us up-to-date with these clashes overnight, and
what is being done to allay concerns, of course, from protesters about the conditions -- supposed conditions inside these facilities?
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, look, there was a curfew that was put in place by the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, to kind of tamp down
all of these clashes that are happening outside between protesters.
And in some cases, officials are saying there are outside agitators that are coming in. And really, what's happening is, it's taking away from what
this issue was to begin with, which was a peaceful protest about those conditions inside where there was a hunger strike going on by detainees who
said that their food was spoiled, that they weren't getting proper medical care.
And so, at the beginning of all of this, slowly, sort of things were being taken away. Family visits were being taken away from these detainees, and
the protesters also just sort of ramped up the efforts outside. Now, again, that curfew is in place to hopefully bring the temperature down a bit.
So far, we haven't seen that. It's only been one full-day of the curfew. But we again saw more clashes, families are getting to -- detainees are
rather getting to get those visitations from family members. And there's continued, you know, political efforts to get inside and try to figure out
exactly what is going on with the conditions inside.
But again, everything being reported back is nothing -- is really dramatically changing at this point. Isa.
SOARES: And meantime, Brynn, I understand the head of Homeland Security is set to hold a news conference in Dulles. I think it's in the next hour on a
separate incident --
GINGRAS: Yes --
SOARES: Important to point out. What are we likely to hear here?
GINGRAS: Oh, yes, definitely. The Secretary is going to be answering questions about this, because this again, has been going on for over a week
now. But, you know, they have been firm that the conditions inside are completely adequate.
They are good enough for the people, the detainees that are inside. They claim that these are the worst of the worst criminals. We saw the
congressional leader, Hakeem Jeffries, go in over the weekend to basically say, these aren't the worst criminals.
I met an 18-year-old dreamer who was about a week away from graduation when she was brought in. I've met business owners, so again, there is a very
different opinions coming out of what we're hearing from the federal government, and what we're hearing from our own Congress members who have
had visits inside.
So, don't expect to hear much from him about any changes inside this facility, only really standing their ground that they think everything is
OK inside Delaney Hall.
SOARES: Brynn, I know you'll stay across this for us. Thank you very much indeed --
GINGRAS: Yes --
SOARES: Well, it's primary election day in the U.S., once again, voters were held to the polls -- head, pardon me, to the polls in six states on
Tuesday to determine who will advance to the election in November. And a few races in particular are getting a lot of attention.
The "New York Times", the "Wall Street Journal" both report that Maine's presumptive Democratic Senate nominee, Graham Platner, sent sexually-
explicit messages to several women a few years ago. California, meanwhile, is also being closely-watched, where voters are choosing who will succeed
Gavin Newsom as governor.
But because of an unusual primary system and a crowded field of candidates, Democrats could be shut out of the race. And still to come tonight, more on
President Trump's claims about Lebanon, after reports that Tehran, if you remember, had suspended the talks with the U.S. over Israel's attacks
there. We'll have the latest after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:32:13]
SOARES: Back to our top story. U.S. President Donald Trump says no Israeli troops are going to Beirut. Israel had ordered new strikes on a Beirut
suburb, but there were few signs it was planning a ground operation in the Lebanese capital. This comes after Iran said it was ending talks with the
U.S. until Israel stops all operations in Lebanon and Gaza. Mr. Trump said earlier he didn't care if talks were over, but then later said they're
continuing at a rapid pace. There's been no confirmation from Iran so far.
Iran is also threatening another crucial waterway, as you can see there, the Bab al-Mandab, vital to traffic, as you can see, in the Red Sea and the
Suez Canal. Iran's Houthi allies still control much of Yemen, and they've attacked ships in the area before. The closure of this waterway could
further halt global trade, adding further pressure, of course, on markets, and they'll want a straight standoff.
Let's go to our Nic Robertson, who joins us more. Nic, let me focus on the diplomacy here. You've seen these true social comments from President
Trump, saying he had a productive call, he said, with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel. And he also said, and this I think is important, talks
are continuing at a rapid pace with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
What is your understanding? You have been in Pakistan, Islamabad. You have the ear of those mediators. What is your understanding of that line? Are
talks ongoing? Given what we just heard from Iran, what, two, three hours ago, they were going to suspend talks?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, they're using the language suspend, and so no one's talking about a catastrophic breakdown,
and the Iranians have set, you know, a bar, if you will. Talks could come back on if Israel pulls its troops out of Lebanon, and if they stop attacks
against Hezbollah. And President Trump seems to be trying to tamp down those tensions. So, I think the sense that talks could be back in place
soon is probably realistic at the moment.
Of course, tonight is another night. We've seen nights over the past week or so where there have been exchanges of fire. Iran's fired ballistic
missiles. The United States has fired defensively, it says, at drone facilities, at command-and-control locations, these sorts of things. So,
there's always the possibility that things could derail.
But on this specific issue, you know, I think if we look at some of the language that we've been hearing over the past 48 hours, maybe, a source
familiar with the negotiations told me there were complications earlier today.
And a little bit after that, we heard from the foreign ministry spokesman in Iran describing some obstacles in the negotiations, that the U.S. sort
of changes its position. And he said, it's not reasonable either for the United States to demand changes to the text that we have already, and we've
heard about this, discussions over words and sentences.
[14:35:00]
He said, it's not reasonable for the U.S. to demand changes and not expect or accept changes coming from our side. So, you could see this, there was
this building of sort of tensions within this sort of negotiations, conversations over the minutiae of the memorandum of understanding. And
this, the situation in Lebanon, Israel, reaching to strike targets in Beirut, southern suburbs, has other targets there. That really seems to be
the moment where Iran has sort of hit the brake, but it doesn't seem that the train is derailed and off the tracks. I think that's, I would read it
as that, where we stand today.
SOARES: Right. And just after President Trump put out that truth social, I'm seeing now the Iranian militaries has warned of retaliation if Israel
does attack Beirut. So, that threat's still very much there. We also heard earlier on today, Nic, from Iran's foreign minister who said that the
ceasefire -- let me see if I've got it, the ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon.
Just taking a step back, Nic, do you think that the U.S. and Israel kind of estimated -- underestimated, pardon me, how central Lebanon or Hezbollah is
to Iran's position here? Just your thoughts on this.
ROBERTSON: You know, I think it's all about finessing the language over every issue that's in that memorandum of understanding, some more than
others. The nuclear issue, the Strait of Hormuz, the war reparations, the unfreezing of funds, all of that, everything's bundled up in nuance.
Look, I think everyone was critically aware when the ceasefire came into being, the current one, that part of it was getting the ceasefire in
Lebanon. President Trump put a lot of pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu, but I was hearing from sources, you know, who are familiar with those
conversations, and they were telling me, look, this has just been rushed through. It's too quick. It won't last. The expectations from Israel on
Lebanon are too high. Hezbollah has not been part of the conversation.
So, we've sort of seen the sort of -- one of the obvious weak links in the whole process sort of buckle under the strain of time. And if you will,
what's happened today, the Iranians are sort of pointing here and saying, this is it. This is the thing. So, attention on that, and perhaps that will
focus minds again on sort of speeding the process.
But absolutely, for Israel, for Iran rather, Hezbollah is an absolutely vital, they wouldn't call them a proxy, everyone else would, ally and
partner. They don't see them as being a military force that is an extension of their own army, but everyone else does. And what Iran is trying to do in
the nuance of these conversations and talks is to make sure that Hezbollah going forward is not only on a ceasefire, not being attacked by Israel, but
they want to make sure that Hezbollah can keep their weapons and be a military force and not just be folded into the political process as was
once imagined for them.
SOARES: And thus far, we have yet to hear from Prime Minister Netanyahu. We'll bring, of course, that to you as soon as we get it. Nic, great to see
you. Thank you very much indeed.
Well, let's look at how the markets are reacting to these developments, this whiplash that we have seen just in the last few hours in the Middle
East. Oil prices are surging, as you can see there. Brent Crude, the global oil benchmark, as you can see there, is up just over 95, up four and a bit
percent, as well as WI, the U.S. benchmark, now heading, of course, towards $100 per barrel once again. And if we just have a quick look at how Wall
Street is doing, green arrows right across the board to start off the month.
Richard Quest is here with me. Richard, goodness me, oil prices are coming down a bit from, of course, earlier on in the days. But President Trump
said today, and it really struck me, speaking about oil prices, saying, told CNBC basically, I think the oil will be dropping like a rock in the
very near distance. What do you make? What do you make of this just ups and down, given, of course, the development in the Middle East?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE AND CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: Yes, let's ignore those comments, in a sense, not out of
disrespect to the president, but because we've heard it before, many times before.
SOARES: Yes.
QUEST: And I mean, the New York Times had a very interesting article a few weeks ago that showed how many times the president had told us that the war
was over or would be over and that the oil prices would fall. The reaction, of course, of the market is, show me, don't just tell me, show me.
And at the moment, what you're seeing in the market today are two competing forces. On the one hand, there's the Dow, the S&P and the NASDAQ. You've
got a very strong day from NVIDIA, which is up on its own issues and its own noise and news.
[14:40:00]
So, the markets, the tech stocks, they are bullish. They continue to be bullish. They continue to be the game in town. And then you have the oil
shock, which was up 8 percent earlier. Now, it's up about 4 percent Brent and West Texas. And that's because there is no reason for optimism. In
fact, quite the opposite. The way the markets are interpreting the current latest developments, there is no reason to believe that that price is going
to fall back appreciably from here on in.
SOARES: Right. So, let me go to a question that we were all pondering here today. On the one hand, like you were saying, we are seeing surging oil
prices, higher treasury yields, sentiment, consumer sentiment also feeling pressure. Yet on the other hand, Richard, Corporate America is posting
strong profits, right? So, how do you respond? How do you answer that to viewers around the world trying to make sense, counting every penny?
QUEST: Sure. It's very simple. The U.S. economy is doing extremely well and the consumer is continuing to spend in spite of these other forces. It
is the resilience and robustness of the consumer in this country and the economy in the face of such headwinds that is remarkable.
Now, it's perhaps not so remarkable if you bear in mind that the U.S. is not so dependent in any way on imported oil from the Gulf. It does have its
own. It is a mass energy exporter, producer and exporter, the largest in the world. And therefore, put in its own context, it can weather the storms
much better than anybody else. That is what we are seeing at the moment, that the United States economy is doing better. Inflation is higher.
Unemployment is marginally where it should be because the economy is so resilient. But it would be doing a great deal better if it wasn't for this
war.
SOARES: Richard Quest, helping us make sense of those numbers. Great to see you, Richard. Richard will be back with Quest News in about an hour and
a bit. Thank you, Richard.
And still to come for you tonight, the countdown is on to the FIFA Men's World Cup. We'll have a preview of this year's games right across North
America. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, the countdown is on as the U.S., Mexico, and Canada make their final preparations to host the FIFA Men's World Cup. We're now 10
days away from kicking off the biggest World Cup in the tournament's history.
[14:45:00]
For the first time ever 48 nations will compete in a whopping 104 matches in total, and I can't wait. Make sure to go to cnn.com to make your
predictions with our interactive bracket and share the results with your friends to see who's the best at predicting the beautiful game.
I want to go straight to our world sports Don Riddell, who's covered many, many World Cups. You and I have spoken a great length about World Cups
here, Don, so great to have you here. Look, you and I were talking, I think it was squads, it was last week, but we're starting to get now, Don, like a
better picture, right, of what these team squads are looking like. How's it shaping up in your view and who are we waiting for? Who's outstanding?
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, most of the squads are now in, but what we are now seeing, Issa, is the teams are actually starting to arrive
in the United States. I mean, over the weekend, we had Argentina arriving. Of course, they're the defending champions. They're going to be playing
their first game in a couple of weeks against Algeria and Kansas City. And what a flex their team plane is, decked out in the iconic blue and white
stripes. Number 10 on the tail, of course, that's a reference to their mega star, Lionel Messi, who is going to be playing in what will be a record
breaking sixth World Cup tournament. Three stars on the plane as well, of course, referencing their three tournament wins.
Some players are not in the States, Canada or Mexico yet because they're still putting the finishing touches to their club season. This was the
scene actually at the French Open Roland-Garros in Paris earlier today. Four of PSG's French players with a flex of their own, bringing not just
one, but two European Cup trophies out onto the clay court. Of course, PSG winning back-to-back Champions League finals. They beat Arsenal in a
penalty shootout on the weekend.
And some teams aren't just in situ, but they are already starting to play their warm up games. It's a huge win for the United States, one of the
three co-host tournaments on Sunday against Senegal, one of the top African teams at the moment.
Sergino Dest there with the opening goal. Christian Pulisic made that opening goal for Sergino Dest and then Pulisic scored himself for a second.
Now, the U.S. allowed Senegal back into the game. It was 2-2, but they ended up winning 3-2. A big win for them, especially since their form has
been somewhat patchy over the last year or so. And a big game for Pulisic as well. He's had an indifferent season for AC Milan, but he is kind of Mr.
Captain America. He's used to putting his country on his back. He did so again in that game and he will be expected to do so again this summer. But
yes, that was a really big win for the USA.
SOARES: I'm really getting excited, Don. I'm counting down. I'm one of those people that are counting down. Can't wait. Don Riddell there for us.
Appreciate it. Thanks, Don.
Still to come tonight, Colombia's presidential election is heading to a second round. We'll talk about one candidate's surprisingly strong
performance. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:00]
SOARES: Colombia's presidential race is set to a runoff after no candidates secure more than 50 percent of the vote in Sunday's election.
Right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella will face off against leftist senator Ivan Cepeda. This election looks set to impact Colombia's important
ties, of course, with the United States. De la Espriella is pro-Trump, while his rival, Cepeda, is the hand-picked successor of leftist president
Gustavo Petro.
Our Stefano Pozzebon joins me now from Bogota. So, Stefano, just take a step back for our viewers. I mean, these two candidates represent sharply
different visions for Colombia, right? How would you explain the choice here and how close these two were?
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think the results from the first poll is a suggest us and tell us that incumbents have a hard time and have had a
hard time in the last decade all over the world, from Budapest to Bogota.
And Cepeda was running as an insurgent, a left-wing candidate, because the left has only ruled once here in the history of this country, which is the
most conservative country in South America. However, that last time has been the last four years. And effectively, Cepeda was running as the
successor of the incumbent, which is President Gustavo Petro. He's not running only because the Constitution, the Colombian Constitution, only
allows for one mandate. Otherwise, we would definitely have seen Petro's name on the ballot.
And the suggestion the results are giving us is that the Colombians would rather throw a wide pass to a far-right populist, similar to the ones that
we've seen before here in this region, from Bolsonaro to Milei to Nayib Bukele in El Salvador, rather than continuing with the status quo. I'm not
really cutting down the merits of Abelardo de la Espriella, who has clearly galvanized a campaign and galvanized a lot of support in this country,
especially considering that nobody, me included, we didn't know who he was up until, I would say, 12 months ago.
However, it's important to understand that the left, both Cepeda and Petro, tried to make this election a referendum over the last four years. And all
over the world, voters are not happy with their rulers, with politicians. And so, more often than not, they will vote for a chance of a change.
Whether this is a change for good, well, remains to be seen, because we're seeing that other people aligned with de la Espriella, at least in this
part of the world, have not come up with a successful record in office. And de la Espriella, by the way, was very quick to point out his links to the
United States.
As quickly -- as soon as he took the stage yesterday from a ferry in the port of Barranquilla, which is a city in the Colombian-Caribbean coast,
this is what he said in his characteristic vitriolic style, so similar to the ones of Milei and Bolsonaro. Take a listen to how he celebrated and
said that he's preparing for the second round of this presidential election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABELARDO DE LA ESPRIELLA, COLOMBIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (through translator): The United States of America and democratic countries will
monitor this second round. In this second round, I will be at the forefront of this battle. I will stand as Colombia's finest warrior to defend our
democracy and get myself killed for Colombia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POZZEBON: So, the first is an appeal to the United States of America, which in this side of the world, normally translates with Donald J. Trump.
The second one is his characteristic vitriolic bombastic, maybe call it machista, saying that he's ready to die. He gives these speeches behind an
armored glass, a protection box, because he says he has received threats on his life by participating in this campaign.
And again, the rhetoric and the policies that de la Espriella is bringing forward are really similar to the ones of Bukele, Milei or Bolsonaro. We've
had the Trump of the tropics, which was Bolsonaro, the original one. We had the Trump of the tango, which was Milei. Then we had Bukele. I need to come
up with a new nickname for de la Espriella. Maybe I can call him Coffee Trump because we are in Colombia.
[14:55:00]
But it seems that yet again, the trend of Latin American nicknames for de la Espriella, maybe I can call him Coffee Trump because we are in Colombia.
But it seems that yet again, the trend of Latin American right-wing populist taking a lesson from the MAGA World book. Well, it seems that that
page hasn't turned yet. And this is what's happening in Colombia over the next three weeks.
SOARES: And we've got about a minute left on the show. Look, I know security. I know crime being huge concerns for so many. How much is he
tapping into that?
POZZEBON: Oh, massively. Like I said, every speech that he gives is behind an armored glass because he wants to underline the fact that Colombia is in
a constant state of emergency because, of course, he's the insurgent. He's the opposition. He's the one that just needs to throw and say that the
current government is not doing a good enough job and he would do it better without actually presenting too many policies. But that is, once again, the
playbook that has been so successful for so many leaders in these latitudes. Isa.
SOARES: Well, he calls himself -- he dubs himself, doesn't he, El Tigre? Maybe he'll call himself the Trump of the tropics. I don't know. I'll let
you ponder on that one.
POZZEBON: The tiger, yes.
SOARES: The tiger, right?
POZZEBON: Tiger Trump.
SOARES: Thank you. Stefano -- there you go. Good to see you, Stefano. I appreciate it. Live from Bogota in Colombia.
That does it for us for tonight. Do stay right here. "What We Know" with Max Foster is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
