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Isa Soares Tonight

IAEA: Facility Supplying Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Hit; "Putin's Davos" Underway in St. Petersburg; New Protests Over Trump-Linked Luxury Resort in Albania; Trump Attacks CNN Reporter in the Oval Office. Hezbollah Rejects a Renewed Ceasefire Agreed by Israel and Lebanon as Trump Struggles to End War with Iran; John Bolton Reaches a Plea Deal Over Mishandling of Sensitive National Security Information; Protests Grow in Albania Over a Trump Family-Linked Luxury Resort. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired June 04, 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, Hezbollah rejects a renewed ceasefire

agreed by Israel and Lebanon as Trump struggles to end the war with Iran. What it means for stability in the region.

Then Donald Trump's former national security adviser-turned adversary, John Bolton, reaches a plea deal over mishandling sensitive national security

information. We'll bring you the very latest. And then protests grow in Albania over a Trump family-linked luxury resort.

I'll ask an environmental biologist why there's so much ecological concern. We'll have that and much more just ahead for you. We do begin this hour in

Washington where U.S. President Donald Trump is not only facing an Iranian regime that refuses to flinch, but growing resistance to the war within his

own party. A resolution to limit his war powers is now headed to the Senate.

That's after four House Republicans joined Democrats in passing the measure in a major rebuke of the President's war strategy. As for the status of the

peace talks, you ask -- well, Washington and Tehran are -- once again have very different takes.

President Trump says there could be a deal in a few days, a forecast we've heard numerous times before. But Iran's Foreign Minister says there's been

no significant progress. Meantime, Hezbollah has rejected the ceasefire agreement reached Wednesday between Israel and Lebanon's government,

calling it, quote, "a roadmap to exterminate a segment of the Lebanese people."

Israel and Hezbollah exchanged strikes shortly after that later ceasefire went into effect. The Pentagon sent Tehran's claim a malfunctioning U.S.

missile was responsible for deadly strike on Kuwait's main airport is false.

Kuwaiti authorities are calling it a deliberate and unjustified attack by Iran. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meeting with Kuwaiti Foreign

Minister today. So, there's a lot for us to get through. Let's go to CNN's Betsy Klein live from Washington.

So, Betsy, we'll talk about the pressures on President Trump, the domestic pressures on President Trump in just a moment. But let me start with those

mixed messages. I just -- I've just laid out to our viewers on the status of these fragile ceasefire with Iran.

The President says a firm deal could come as soon as this weekend. Hezbollah, meantime, as we said, has rejected the ceasefire in Lebanon.

Where does this leave diplomacy at this stage?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, I think it's a good sign that both sides have acknowledged that they are still in

communication, but there is still so much uncertainty about the state of a potential peace deal.

And it was just a couple of days ago that we had reported that there was an agreement, sort of a deal to make a deal, and in that, it would have ended

the fighting and reopened the Strait of Hormuz. Of course, that critical oil thoroughfare, it would also have started a 60-day clock for negotiators

to work out some of the thornier issues, including what to do with Iran's highly enriched uranium, how to dispose of it, who would control it?

But the President had never officially signed on to that deal, and nearly a week later, strikes in the region are really calling into question that

very fragile ceasefire that has been in place for weeks. But the President was asked about this yesterday, and he seemed very blase about it.

He offered sort of a joke of an answer where he said, a ceasefire there is much different than a ceasefire in other parts of the world. And he sort of

laughed at that. But really underscoring that he believes, in his view, this ceasefire is still in place.

He painted a rosy picture. He said that negotiations are going very well. He said there could be a deal as soon as this weekend. Of course, all of

that comes as we are hearing from Iran that there hasn't been any significant progress, but I think both things can be true here.

We're going to be watching for any significant developments or even minor developments going forward, Isa.

SOARES: And that's on the foreign policy, of course, President Trump trying to end, bring a conclusion to both these wars. But the President is

also facing, Betsy, pressures and setbacks, as you say, at home with the House voting, of course, to rein in his war powers. Just explain to our

viewers how boxed-in the President is right now.

KLEIN: He's certainly in a tricky spot. There is mounting political pressure on this White House to end this war.

[14:05:00]

We are seeing gas prices at historic highs, the Midterm elections in about five months from now. But the President's party issuing a very rare and

strong rebuke, making very clear that they are unhappy with the trajectory of this war.

The House of Representatives voting yesterday with four Republicans crossing the aisle to vote with Democrats to limit the President's war

powers. The President lashing out, he called this unpatriotic in a post to social media. I want to read you that full post.

He says, quote, "yesterday, in a meaningless vote, the House voted, four bad Republicans and all of the Democrats", which he says are Democrats --

"to limit my war powers right in the middle of my final negotiations to end the war with the Islamic Republic of Iran." Who would do such an

unpatriotic thing?

Now, Democrats have really been beating the drum on this, and there has been a pressure campaign really building, and we've seen Republicans

gradually warm up to this idea. It's going to go to the Senate next for a vote.

But it really underscores this political rebellion that we are seeing within the President's party, lashing out at some of his more unpopular

policies. Isa.

SOARES: Betsy Klein, thanks for laying it all out for us, appreciate it. Betsy Klein for us there in Washington. I want to turn to the Hezbollah,

Lebanon, Israel part of the story. Our CNN Jerusalem correspondent, Jeremy Diamond joins us now.

So, Jeremy, you and I have spoken about this ceasefire, the ceasefire that is between Lebanon and Israel. But the war, of course, that we're seeing is

between Israel and Hezbollah. Now, we've had Hezbollah saying it has rejected the ceasefire. Where does this leave things right now?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. Hezbollah's leader very publicly rejecting this ceasefire agreement,

calling it a, quote, "road map to exterminate a segment of the Lebanese people and enslave the rest."

He vowed that as long as the occupation remains, referring to Israel, the resistance will continue. Now, that's key, because this whole new ceasefire

agreement between Israel and Lebanon, which was reached yesterday and announced by the United States in a joint statement, depends on Hezbollah,

not only ceasing its attacks on Israeli soldiers and on Israeli towns and communities in northern Israel.

But also, it depends on Hezbollah withdrawing from parts of southern Lebanon in order for the next phase of that ceasefire to move forward,

which seems to be the establishment of these, quote, "pilot zones" that would allow the Lebanese military to move into areas that are free of any

non-state armed actors, such as Hezbollah, and be able to take control of those areas instead of the Israeli military being in control of those areas

in southern Lebanon.

But there are a few caveats here. First of all, these are the public statements of Hezbollah. Privately, Hezbollah seems to have indicated that,

at least, as it relates to one component of this ceasefire, meaning preventing Israel from striking the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

That depends on Hezbollah not carrying out strikes against northern Israeli communities. And so far, although there were several sirens that went off

today in northern Israeli communities, it seems that, that was actually related to defensive fire from Israel to intercept rockets and drones that

Hezbollah was firing at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.

And so, it seems that from now, at least, we are back to that kind of mild detente between Israel and Hezbollah, where there is still a lot of

fighting happening in southern Lebanon. Both Hezbollah attacks as well as Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon.

But we haven't seen Israeli strikes in the Lebanese capital. And we also aren't seeing any significant Hezbollah attacks against residential areas

in northern Israel. So, the question now is, you know, where we go from here, whether that will be enough to keep the ceasefire agreement alive, or

whether the rhetoric that we're hearing from Hezbollah is, in fact, indicative of a possible escalation moving forward.

SOARES: Yes, and we'll see, of course, what President Trump says, of course, following on from these words. But it's important context that

you've just added there, Jeremy. Let me turn -- let me stay in Israel, because I have seen the Israel Supreme Court has ruled that the Red Cross

must be allowed to visit Palestinian detainees.

Give us a sense of some context within this ruling here, because you've done such important reporting on this. But also, how soon potentially this

could happen?

DIAMOND: Yes, well, this was a unanimous ruling from Israel's Supreme Court, which basically said that Israel had failed to provide any legal

justification for banning the International Red Cross from meeting with and checking on the conditions of Palestinian detainees.

This is a policy that Israel has had in place since the October 7th, 2023 attacks. Initially, the Israeli government said that this policy was

related to the fact that Hamas was holding hostages in Gaza, who also did not have access to Red Cross visitation.

[14:10:00]

But since those hostages have been released, the Israeli government hasn't provided any justification for this policy. And so, the Israeli Supreme

Court is now saying that Israel must allow the Red Cross to visit these detainees. There's no clear timeline on when we could actually see these

visitations take place.

And it's important to note that in the past, when the Israeli Supreme Court has made rulings aiming to improve the conditions for Palestinian

detainees, such as last Fall, when they said that Israel was not providing sufficient food to these detainees.

We haven't really seen any evidence of an improvement in the conditions of these detainees. In fact, when we recently interviewed the Palestinian

journalist, Ali Samoudi, last month about the conditions in which he was held, he showed a dramatic loss of weight during his year in prison,

suggesting that there hasn't been any real improvement in conditions for these detainees.

And the far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees Israel's prison system, he slammed this Supreme Court ruling, calling it a,

quote, "disgraceful decision by detached judges." So, we'll see whether or not those -- this ruling is, in fact, implemented in practice. Isa?

SOARES: Yes, I know, you'll keep us abreast of any developments. Thank you very much, Jeremy Diamond there for us. Well, I'm very pleased to get the

perspective this hour of Daniel Levy; he is the President of the U.S.- Middle East project, a well-known face here on the show.

Daniel, great to have you back on the show. There's so much for us to talk about. We just heard from our correspondents in Washington and in

Jerusalem. But I do want to start with Iran and these negotiations with Iran. And then we can talk Hezbollah, hopefully, we've got time.

Just what do you make, first of all, Daniel, of these mixed messages we've been hearing on these talks? Because President Trump says a deal could come

as soon as this weekend. Iran's Foreign Minister is basically saying, undercutting that claim, basically saying there's no significant progress,

no formal negotiation progress underway. How do you assess, Daniel, where we are right now?

DANIEL LEVY, PRESIDENT, U.S./MIDDLE-EAST PROJECT: Isa, it's good to be with you, and we are in a very similar place to where we've been for an

awfully long time. And the premise of that is that you have an incoherent and an un-strategic American leadership that doesn't really know what it

wants out of this.

It's got itself into this, and it has been telling us -- the President has been telling us, underneath all the bombast and the slightly sclerotic

unhinged social media posts that every weekend, were almost there, will be there. The Iranians desperately want this. They're so desperate. There

isn't a deal because you don't have a U.S. leadership with a seriousness of purpose and an understanding of the balance of power.

Now that America got itself into this war and gave Iran certain leverage of how to manage that, so, we could see an escalation, we could see the

headlines of a deal, one that doesn't have detail or implementation detail, but allows perhaps opening on the Strait of Hormuz allows the ceasefire to

continue, and allows perhaps space for the mediators to negotiate more seriously.

But unless and until we've got an American side that has the capacity to hold serious talks, we're going to be stuck in this, and in the meantime,

the saboteur-in-chief, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, continues to work in those cracks to try and make sure there is no deal to

have as much of an influence on preventing the end of this war as he had on starting this war in the first place.

And we see that through the attempt to deploy normalization with Arab states, not going to happen. Expanded Abraham Accords as a condition which

President Trump tweeted and then spoke to in his cabinet, and what's going on in Lebanon.

So, we could have Trump walk away, declare victory, we could have an escalation, we could have a deal. But mostly, what we've got is a stuck

situation.

SOARES: And I'll ask you in a moment about Prime Minister Netanyahu, and of course, that, you know, phone call that was had between the President

Netanyahu -- Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump. But you spoke about an incoherence, Daniel, I think it was what you said, incoherence,

talking about this administration and this government.

We heard Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi says today that the war between Israel and Iran will only end. And I'll quote here, "when it also

ends in Lebanon, and that the world must recognize that Hezbollah is a part of Lebanon's reality."

To what extent, Daniel, do you think Washington just doesn't understand the central role or fails to understand the central role that Hezbollah plays

in Iran's kind of regional strategy and as well as deterrence posture.

[14:15:00]

LEVY: Look, it's not breaking news that the U.S. has a poor understanding of areas it puts military bases in and then goes to war in. And this, you

know, there are some things that are very unique to this administration. There are some things that really are not.

So, one can think back to the Iraq war. One can think back to different embroilment of the U.S. in this region. So, it's -- this isn't new and

exclusive to this administration. There was a situation in play where there was a kind of ceasefire in Lebanon prior to Israel, and the U.S. launching

this war, but not really.

Israel was still conducting military operations. Israel was beyond the border in sovereign Lebanese territory. But you could kind of let that

slide from the Iranian perspective. And the thing today is that you see an intensification of that arena.

And I think Iran will hold out, and perhaps it will accept something short of a full ceasefire, as was the case in the past. But it's not going to

accept a situation where it's a wink-wink, nudge-nudge ceasefire, where Israel is able to occupy --

SOARES: Yes --

LEVY: Large swathes of Lebanon and where the U.S. tries to turn the Lebanese government into a vehicle for waging civil war.

SOARES: So, Iran will hold out. Where does this leave then, Prime Minister Netanyahu, of course, and Hezbollah, we've seen, you know, not today, but

in the last several weeks they have been -- there's been tit-for-tat between them.

We've had a ceasefire in name only, right? We've had Lebanese and Israeli officials meeting in D.C., trying to hammer things out. And while this has

been going on, ongoing violation, evacuation orders and too many civilians killed in this. Where does this leave that?

LEVY: No, it leaves it in a desperately bad situation for those who were impacted by this on the civilian front. You have more --

SOARES: Yes --

LEVY: Than a quarter of the Lebanese population displaced, 1.2 million people. And those displacements continue, and in some respects, intensify.

So, Netanyahu is trying to pull a fast one here. First of all, he's trying to -- he's trying to create a win-win where if the Americans let him bomb

Beirut, he bombs Beirut.

By the way, there is domestic criticism that he is not intensifying his campaign in Lebanon. This particular war, like the war with Iran, is not

considered to have gone that well. So, if Netanyahu can bomb Beirut with American permission, that's fine.

If Netanyahu is stopped from doing so, but the deal on the table is that Hezbollah must cease fire entirely, and Israel must only cease fire against

Beirut. But it can continue to occupy deep into Lebanese territory, can continue to clear out of its civilian population, Lebanese towns and

villages, and that's no ceasefire at all. So, that's what the Americans have tried to put --

SOARES: Yes --

LEVY: Forward, it's not going to happen. The Lebanese government is clearly under --

SOARES: Yes --

LEVY: Tremendous pressure. It has a tremendous domestic credibility problem. It has a tremendous capacity problem. And the deal it is being

offered, which is no deal at all, really, is either Israel will make war against your country or you make a civil war inside your country. So, we

hear, and it sounds very familiar even from the --

SOARES: Yes --

LEVY: Biden administration, that you have a call between a U.S. President and Israeli Prime Minister, there's frustration and there are expletives.

But at the end of the day --

SOARES: What did you make -- what did you make of that call? Were you surprised at all that there were expletives because President Trump was

saying that he was perturbed? I think perturbed was the word he used.

But earlier in the week, and this is according to sources, right? There were some expletives and some harsh words from him. Were you surprised at

all, Daniel?

LEVY: Not really, because American Presidents --

SOARES: Yes --

LEVY: Sometimes have these moments where they lose patience with an Israeli leader. But does it lead to anything? There's a -- there's a

headline in, you know, often satire captures this better than you or I can. And there's a headline in "The Onion".

President Trump issues a strongly-worded check to Israel. And I think that captures it, because after that call, America hosts talks between Israel

and Lebanon and again, aligns itself with an unreasonable Israeli position. Look at what's going on in Gaza.

The American 20-point plan tilted in Israel's favor massively. Since then, America has tried to lead the implementation of that to be according to

Israel's position. Israel was occupying more than 50 percent of Gaza, now it's more than 60 percent.

Now, Netanyahu has told us more than 70 percent that Board of Peace has put in place in order basically to launder and legitimize Israel's continued

violations of international law and war crimes. People being killed every day. So --

SOARES: Yes --

LEVY: When you look at the details, Lebanon, West Bank, Gaza, Syria, continued war against Iran, you can give as many expletives, you can be as

cussing as you like on a phone --

SOARES: Yes --

[14:20:00]

LEVY: Call. But are you going to distinguish between U.S. interests and Israeli interests? And are you going to pursue the former even if they

clash with the latter? Apparently not so much.

SOARES: The view from Daniel Levy, always great to have you on the show, Daniel, thank you very much indeed. And coming up in the next hour, CNN

gets rare access inside Lebanon as Israel expands its military operations there.

Our Isobel Yeung sits down with a Hezbollah member of a Lebanese parliament, to discuss what the Iran-backed militant group is fighting for

as Israel and Lebanon agree to implement a ceasefire. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hezbollah decided to enter this war on March the 2nd. You know, you knew before starting this war that the Israeli

response would be huge, that thousands of people were likely to die, which they have.

What made you decide that, that level of human suffering which we've witnessed over the last few months, was worth it?

IBRAHIM AL MOUSSAWI, HEZBOLLAH MEMBER OF LEBANESE PARLIAMENT: I don't want to go into the philosophy of life and death here. The Israelis continue to

carry aggression, so, there was at one point when we have to respond to all of these aggressions.

When the Israeli-American war again, they started the war against Iran, we felt this is a proper window to respond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: And you can watch that full interview in the next hour right here on CNN. Well, Iranians are paying tribute to the founder of the Islamic

Republic on the 37th anniversary of his death. CNN's team is on the ground in Tehran, covering the event and hearing from Iranians firsthand.

We should mention CNN operates in Iran only with the permission of the government, but maintains full editorial control of its report. Our Fred

Pleitgen has sent us this report from Tehran.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): What an event here in Tehran to mark the death of the founder of the

Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei. And as you can see, a lot of people have turned out here to pay their respects.

Now, in this year, as Iran is in this conflict with the United States, of course, this event also has a special meaning for the people who have come

here. There's a lot of people that we are seeing who are waving red flags that say revenge on them.

Because, of course, there are still a lot of people here who want revenge for the killing of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. And

that's also something that was voiced here by the crowd.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We don't trust America. Never.

PLEITGEN: Never?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ever.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There is no reason for the Islamic Republic of Iran to grant concessions. We have no reason to back down from

our position. We were not defeated in war, nor have we been defeated in diplomacy. We demonstrated that we are capable of resisting, and that we

are highly resilient.

PLEITGEN: At the same time, of course, the context that all of this happens in, is extremely important. There are talks that are going on

between the U.S. and Iran, where both sides say they are trying to get to a Memorandum of Understanding that would then pave the way for broader peace

talks to try and end the war between Iran and the United States for good.

Also, though, of course, the security situation, especially in the Persian Gulf, remains extremely volatile, with the U.S. hitting some targets on

some Persian Gulf islands. The Iranians, for their part, saying that they were hitting targets affiliated with the United States in places like

Kuwait and in places like Bahrain as well.

So, the security situation, very volatile, the ceasefire, very fragile. At the same time, both sides say they are trying to find a way out of the

impasse. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: That's Fred Pleitgen and Claudia Otto in Tehran. And still to come tonight, a former Trump national security adviser-turned adversary could

spend up to five years in prison. John Bolton is expected to plead guilty over mishandling sensitive national security information. We'll have more

on that case for you just ahead. You are watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:25:00]

SOARES: Well, Donald Trump's former national security adviser is expected to plead guilty to one count of his handling of sensitive national security

information. Sources tell CNN, John Bolton, who is now a staunch critic of President Trump, has reached a plea deal and has agreed to pay more than $2

million fine.

President Trump has long been calling for Bolton to be arrested over his 2020 memoir, which was highly critical of the President. Our Katelyn

Polantz has a look back at the events leading up to his plea deal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME & JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): John Bolton is expected to plead guilty to one criminal count of mishandling or

retaining national security information. Classified information that he would have received when he was the national security adviser during the

first Trump administration.

So, that top job, it put him in the Situation Room. It put him inside SCIFs. It gave him briefings about very sensitive subjects that he was

learning as the national security adviser for Trump and Bolton in this case, when he was charged last October.

He was alleged to have essentially written himself diary-like entries of his time serving for President Donald Trump. And he was then e-mailing

those diary entries to himself with classified information in them, and then having them printed out and kept in his home.

When the FBI searched his home last August, they did find documents marked secret or confidential classified documents. And now, the case is going to

end with Bolton pleading guilty to one-count of retaining national classified information.

A significant situation for the Justice Department, because Donald Trump has so disliked John Bolton since he left -- was fired by the Trump White

House. He also had written a book after he was in that position as national security adviser, a memoir that Donald Trump had tried to block him from

publishing.

This case, though, it had been investigated for some time. There were hackers that got into Bolton's e-mail, and it became known to the FBI that

it was possible Iran had access to some of this classified information that Bolton had taken for himself.

So, it resulted in 18 charges against him. Now, he's pleading down, but it is something that could still carry a stiff penalty for John Bolton. This

would be a felony charge. And with this felony charge, he could face prison time somewhere up to 60 months in prison.

That will be determined by the judge, as will a fine, he will pay. Although, sources are telling me that the fine could potentially be as much

as $2 million or more than $2 million. That would be a very steep amount for Bolton to be paying in a case like this, a national security case.

But it is a big day for the U.S. Attorney's office in Maryland, having carried this investigation through the Biden administration into the

charges in the Trump administration. And now with Bolton agreeing to plead guilty, a court hearing is set for him at the end of June. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Thank you very much. Our thanks to Katelyn Polantz for that. To the Russia-Ukraine war, where Russia is acknowledging a drop in oil

production as Kyiv continues to target oil facilities. Moscow didn't specifically mention the impact of Ukrainian attacks, but said output is

down due to, quote, "unscheduled maintenance on the Ukrainian side".

The International Atomic Energy Agency says a power facility which supplies the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant with electricity was attacked this

morning. The plant is occupied by Russian forces and the power site is controlled by Ukraine.

It is unclear who is responsible for the attack, the IAEA says electricity is still flowing. And as the fighting rages, Russia's President is busy

hosting his answer to Davos, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

[14:30:00]

State media reports some 20,000 people from across the world are attending.

And still to come tonight, a new round of protests in Albania over controversial luxury resort development. I'll speak to environmentalists

about concerns over the project. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Protests are taking place in Albania over a resort project with ties to U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter and

son-in-law.

Protesters are worried a luxury development will ruin an environmentally sensitive part of the Adriatic coast. The billion-dollar resort is being

led by Affinity Partners. That's Jared Kushner's investment company. The development is on an undeveloped island off the coast of Albania.

Yesterday, if you remember, I spoke to the prime minister of Albania about the protests and indeed the development. He denied the potential

environmental issues. In fact, he called the reports fake news. Here's some of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDI RAMA, ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER: There is not such a thing like a Trump family island. There is not such a thing like the family of the American

president taking over protected areas where flamingos will be killed by them. These are all stories that, of course, get traction but can't be far

from the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, joining me now is Marjo Brakaj, a reporter with CNN's Albania affiliate A2. Marjo, really appreciate you being with us. I

understand from my team that you are outside the prime minister's office. Give us a sense what is happening behind you or what protesters are telling

you.

[14:35:00]

MARJO BRAKAJ, REPORTER, A2 CNN: So, good evening from Tirana, Albania. We are located at the main boulevard between the prime minister's office and

the main parliamentary building. It's being dubbed the flamingo revolution by the young people who are the main demographic of the protest.

Now, they are demanding the resignation of the prime minister, Edi Rama, especially after the interview he gave for CNN yesterday, calling the

protest a fake news and people disinformed by a hybrid word. It started as an eco-protest in Zvernec's Vlore, but video footage of the protesters

being maltreated created a massive backlash.

Now, they demand transparency, so they are asking for more information. People who are protesting are united against the political regime, both

from the government and same for the opposition and all political parties. They have supported the project led by the company of Jared Kushner, son-

in-law of Donald Trump, president of the United States of America.

SOARES: And, Marjo, it's -- I -- you know, I have been hearing from some of those protesting, and I will speak to an environmental biologist in

Albania in just a moment, but can you give us a sense of what people are telling you? Because the prime minister yesterday told me that there is no

project, and then he said there is no project yet. Has anything started? Has anything been said out in the open? Has any information been given to

the public? Speak to that.

BRAKAJ: Yes, this is the main problem, the lack of information. People are asking for transparency, they are asking for information, because we are

talking for a protected zone in Narta Lagoon, in the south of Albania, in Vlore city, in Zvernec. It's a protected zone and it's planned to be a

private project in the tourism field by Jared Kushner, and people are asking for information, as the government, prime minister Edi Rama is

telling, there is not a project.

In fact, in the zone, they are taking place under construction, so they are working there, there are machines there to build the private project in

Zvernec. This is the main reason why the people are gathered in the fifth day of the protest, asking the resignation of the prime minister, Edi Rama,

and the cancellation of the project in Zvernec.

SOARES: Five days of protests being dubbed, as you said, Marjo, the Flamingo Revolution. Marjo, really appreciate you taking the time to speak

to us as Marjo Brakaj with CNN's Albanian affiliate A2. Thank you, Marjo, live for us in Tirana in Albania.

As I was saying, we are hoping to connect with the environmental biologists, we are working on that, we are going to try and get that to you

after this very short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:40:00]

SOARES: Well, in Japan, the parents of a missing U.S. college student are pleading for help in finding their son. Twenty-year-old James Weston

Higginbotham disappeared on May 29 during a family trip there. Police say he was last spotted in Kyoto, apparently heading towards a hiking trail.

The FBI is assisting local authorities in the search. Our Hanako Montgomery has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nancy and Keith Higinbotham can only think of their missing son.

NANCY HIGGINBOTHAM, SON MISSING IN JAPAN: Every single second, you think about your kid and then you have the flashbacks of when he was two, when I

was breastfeeding him, the birthday parties we've thrown for him.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): The family of four is on a first-time holiday across Japan. But 20-year-old Weston Higginbotham left his parents and

brother on Friday night, and they haven't seen him since. The college student appeared to have switched off a GPS function on his phone and is

believed to have taken a train away from Kyoto.

N. HIGGINBOTHAM: It's not unusual for Weston to blow off steam going to, you know, the woods. So -- and just exploring. That's his happy place.

MONTGOMERY: But it was unusual that he turned off his location?

N. HIGGINBOTHAM: That -- when he turned off his locations, and that was so concerning because it's so out of character for him, and I just felt it.

KEITH HIGGINBOTHAM, SON MISSING IN JAPAN: It's mother's intuition, she kept saying something's not right.

N. HIGGINBOTHAM: I said something's not right, something's not right. I knew something was wrong.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Weston is a keen outdoorsman, a vegan and an environmentalist. His mother said they had bickered after Weston got upset

with her for using chat GPT because of A.I.'s environmental impact.

MONTGOMERY: Weston was last seen at this train station on May 29, and since then, the Japanese authorities have been searching the woods in this

area where they believe he might be.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Torrential rain and typhoon winds have stopped the search at times, while strangers have reached out to help the family

through the language barrier and explain Japan's idiosyncrasies. Many of us can't even imagine. Vigils were held back home in Alabama for a young man

described as both popular and caring.

The search for him continues, but without any new leads.

K. HIGGINBOTHAM: I don't want anybody to think that we're thinking of him in the past because we're not.

MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Hope that Weston is OK, trapped or lost in the Japanese forest.

Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Kyoto.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: We're going to take a short break. We'll see you on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:45:00]

SOARES: We want to bring you more on what we brought you just earlier in the show in the last, what, five minutes or so. That story out of Albania,

as the correspondent was saying there. It's been dubbed the Flamingo Revolution. It's been protests we've seen for five days. That's over a

resort project which ties to U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter and son-in-law.

Let's get more on this and the implications of this from an ecological point of view. Joining me now is Melitjan Nezaj. He's an environmental

biologist at the Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania. Melitjan, welcome to the show.

Can you just explain to our viewers, we heard from a reporter in Albania just a moment ago, and he was saying that a lot of these concerns are

environmental concerns. We heard that. Based on what you know so far, what can you tell us about the scale and the scope of this proposed development

and what impact that would have on this coastline, biodiversity and habitats?

MELITJAN NEZAJ, ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGIST AND PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION OF NATURAL ENVIRONMENT IN ALBANIA: Well, thank you for having me. It's a

great pleasure. I'm sorry if my voice is weak. I've been whistling a lot recently.

And indeed, the project is quite destructive since it's actually planned to be built within a protected area, within a protected landscape, which is

actually one of the most intact wetlands in the Mediterranean. Everything started without even considering the environmental impacts that this

project may have. And considering that the project is huge, I mean the project idea that was made public more than two years ago, the consequences

may be extremely destructive for the environment, for birds and thousands of species living there in the site.

SOARES: Right. And we're talking about Sazan Island and the Zvernec -- apologies if I'm mispronouncing it. Zvernec, which are on Albania's

Adriatic coast, right, from what I can remember. Let me put to you what we've heard from Jared Kushner. Because President Trump's son-in-law said

just a year ago or so, and I'm going to quote him, what makes this spot so special is the environment that's there. So, we need to make sure we really

preserve the environment.

Clearly, he said this in a video you can see on YouTube. It's clear. Do you believe a development of this scale can genuinely protect the area's

ecological value, or do you see the risks of irreversible damage, basically?

NEZAJ: Actually, everybody sees that, except the government. I mean, there are at least two projects planned, one in the island and one in the main

island, nearby Vlore County. And to tell you the truth, the media attention was towards the island all of this time, but neglecting the wetland on the

mainland side.

And recently, just a few days ago, we encountered the very first interventions in the site with heavy machinery. And that started basically

without these international, let's say, environmental experts doing the environmental impact assessment.

[14:50:00]

So, construction started before doing all these assessments. And basically, you cannot even do the assessment if you don't know what projects, what is

it, let's say, the project, how many buildings, where it will be exactly located. Because our government says that there is no project so far. We

are still discussing about it.

But on the other hand, he says that there are environmental impact assessments being done in the site, alongside the construction.

SOARES: And your prime minister told me yesterday, in fact, that the protesters have been misled. And he said that the team, the project team,

is working with leading environmental engineers and major environmental impact consultants, he said. I just wonder whether your organization has

been consulted in any way during this process, whether you've seen any environmental studies or assessments or public disclosures that address

those very concerns and the concerns that have been raised by the protesters. Because the ground was talking about a lack of transparency.

NEZAJ: Yes, actually, we were never approached in such discussions. I've heard there were discussions when Ms. Trump came to Laura, but with

architects and with some professors from history or whatsoever. And as we speak now, there are no permissions publicly available. The government is

saying that we have a permission to the investors to develop the area, but we don't have anything else. Everything else is like darkness for us and

for the public.

And that's actually why there are people now in the streets. And that's why we are, let's say, requesting all of this to be public. So, we can also

have an idea what's going to be happening there.

SOARES: Melitjan, really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us, laying it all out. We'll stay in touch, of course, to see if there are any

developments. Of course. Thank you very much indeed. Joining us now from Tirana in Albania.

NEZAJ: Thank you. My pleasure.

SOARES: Now -- you're very welcome. Now, finally, tonight, we don't usually focus on ourselves as we cover the news. Your stories, as you know,

are what matter. But we don't want to gloss over something that happened yesterday, as one of my colleagues was doing her job, seeking truth from

power. CNN's Kaitlan Collins was personally attacked by Donald Trump in the Oval Office before she even said a word.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: CNN's a very corrupt organization, but with a corrupt reporter standing right there, never smiles. You never see a

young, beautiful woman, never smiles. I never see a smile off her face. I see her standing there with hatred in her eyes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: It's sexist abuse that perhaps no male reporter would have to endure. And it's far from the first time we've heard it. You may remember

Mr. Trump calling female reporters piggy, stupid, ugly, and the list goes on.

President Trump has long tried to intimidate, some would say bully, the press in general, lashing out at news organizations that challenge and

question him. He's not even hiding what he wants to see changes in some media ownership, including right here at CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: People like you have abused our people so badly. The fake news, like CNN, like The New York Times, and like others, have abused our people.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Republicans were critical about it --

TRUMP: Wait a minute, be quiet.

COLLINS: -- Mr. President, on Capitol Hill.

TRUMP: Have abused our people so badly, and you should be ashamed of yourself. You used to be a conservative. She was a conservative from

Alabama, can you believe it?

COLLINS: I'm still from Alabama, sir.

TRUMP: But CNN -- in particular, CNN does such false reporting. But now they have new ownership, so maybe it'll straighten it out. I doubt it. But

it's hard to straighten garbage out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, a former Trump White House spokeswoman says she knows from experience why the president went after Kaitlan. Listen to what Sarah

Matthews told CNN about him and then Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH MATTHEWS, FORMER WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: During my time working as deputy press secretary in the first Trump administration,

Kaitlan Collins was the one reporter that scared Kayleigh McEnany and President Trump the most. There would be times where Kayleigh McEnany

wouldn't even call on Kaitlan Collins at press conferences, at press briefings, because she didn't want to answer the questions. Because Kaitlan

Collins is a very, very good reporter. She's the best at what she does. And I think that's why you see Trump go after her more ferociously than any

other reporter in that room.

And it is disgusting to watch him tell a woman that she needs to smile while doing her job. I've seen Kaitlan smile plenty of times. But when

she's asking someone a hard-hitting question, I don't think that that means to watch him tell a woman that she needs to smile while doing her job.

[14:55:00]

I've seen Kaitlan smile plenty of times. But when she's asking someone a hard-hitting question, I don't think that that means that she has to smile

while doing it. And he brings it up time and time again. And it's these misogynistic attacks, not just against Kaitlan.

You know, he told her today to be quiet while she tried to ask a follow-up question. We've seen him say, quiet, piggy, to a female reporter, another

great female reporter, I will add, someone I worked with during my time in the first Trump administration. And so, I wish that this wasn't normalized

and that we weren't desensitized to this type of behavior from the president. But it really is appalling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, even with the jeering ringing on, ringing in, pardon me, in the background, one principle really remains unchanged. The free press is

an indispensable pillar of democracy, keeping the people informed so they can hold their leaders accountable. And we work hard to earn your trust,

and we'll continue to do our jobs.

That does it for us for tonight. Thanks very much for your company. Do stay right here, "What We Know" with Max Foster is up next. I shall see you

tomorrow. Have a wonderful day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:00]

END