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One World with Zain Asher

Israel & Hezbollah Trade Strikes After Lebanon Ceasefire Agreed; Conditional Truce Requires Hezbollah to Leave Southern Lebanon; Iran Blames U.S. Missile for Deadly Kuwait Airport Strike; Iran Marks 37 Years Since Death of Islamic Republic's Founder. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired June 04, 2026 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

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ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: All right, coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. Bianna Golodryga is off today. This is "One World".

Lebanon's President is warning that its ceasefire with Israel is the last chance to reach a comprehensive truce, while Hezbollah, which was not

included in talks, has rejected the deal, calling for a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

Just hours after those U.S.-brokered talks ended, Israel and Hezbollah traded deadly strikes. Earlier, the IDF told Lebanese civilians not to

return to the country's south, saying it was continuing to target Hezbollah despite the ceasefire. Meantime, the Pentagon is pushing back against

Iranian claims that Wednesday's deadly strike on Kuwait's airport was caused by a malfunctioning U.S. Patriot missile.

Kuwait's government shared this new video earlier on X. Later that day, President Donald Trump suggested that Tehran was provoked into attacking

its Gulf neighbors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Some people would say they were slightly provoked because we took a strong action for a

different reason, so they were reciprocating.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you define ceasefire?

TRUMP: Pretty much the way it is. It's a different part of the world. I'd say in that part of the world ceasefires when you're shooting in a more

moderate manner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: CNN's Melissa Bell joins us live now from Paris. So, Melissa, you and I yesterday were discussing that attack on a Kuwaiti airport, but the

Iranians are insisting that it was actually a failed U.S. Patriot and Scepter missile that hit the airport there in Kuwait. The U.S., of course,

disputing that. What more do we know?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Disputing that very much. And then there's this ongoing dispute about how this latest flare-up

in the Gulf began with Iran insisting that their attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait were a response to the U.S. strike on an oil tanker in the Strait of

Hormuz and further American strikes on an island there in the -- Gulf in the Strait of Hormuz as well.

So, there were -- there is this added complication of this renewed violence, that of course, in Kuwait killed one person, injured 60 around

Kuwait airport. But this latest flare-up of that violence, of course, further than complicates the efforts to secure that ceasefire between

Israel and Lebanon.

Of course, Tehran has again insisted, beyond accusing Kuwait and Bahrain of being complicit in the American war and justifying, therefore, its attacks

on the Gulf states. It is also now saying that it will not be resuming any talks, indirect talks that have been happening with Washington until there

has been a proper ceasefire along the Lebanese-Israeli border and the end of the war there.

And we've been having these mixed messages between the Americans and the Iranians about the state of the negotiations. President Trump insisting

that talks are underway and that a deal might be found by the weekend. Tehran, in the shape of its foreign minister, explaining that no progress

had been made in those talks as far as the Iranians are concerned, and that they have now been suspended as a result of the latest violence in and

around the Strait of Hormuz.

Also, adding, that the Iranians will now only return to the negotiating table if there is a full ceasefire in Lebanon. The trouble is that the

ceasefire that was agreed on Wednesday after the negotiations between Lebanese and Israeli officials at the State Department in Washington was

almost immediately challenged by an exchange of fire between Israel and Lebanon.

Further challenged, but as you, as we know, the fact that Hezbollah is not a party to this deal and has insisted that it will not be involved in it,

or indeed prevented from acting as a result of it. There is a further complication, of course, in the fact that Israel insists that it will keep

stay in its positions about nine miles in across the Lebanese border, including Beaufort Castle, that Crusader era castle that it is now

occupying nine miles to the north of that border, insisting there will be no return of the Lebanese populations there.

That is another major sticking point, and Human Rights Watch again very much this afternoon criticizing the fact that Israel maintains that

position, Zain.

ASHER: All right, Melissa Bell, live for us there. Thank you.

[11:05:00]

Iranians are paying tribute to the Founder of the Islamic Republic on the 37th anniversary of his death, we should mention that CNN operates in Iran

only with the permission of the government, but maintains full editorial control of its reports. Here's Fred Pleitgen with more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're at an event here in Tehran to mark the death of the Founder of the Islamic

Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini. 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 MALE: We don't want any agreement with the U.S. and Israel. We just want revenge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Until now, there have been no advantages for us in negotiations with the United States. The U.S. never negotiates in good

faith.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't trust America, never ever.

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 that they are trying to find a way out of the

impasse. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right. Donald Trump is lashing out after a rare rebuke from members of his own party. Four Republicans crossed party lines to vote to

rein in the U.S. President's war powers on Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: This vote, the yeas are 215 and the nays are 208. The concurrent resolution is adopted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: If this were to pass in the Senate, the president would be required to either withdraw troops or get the approval of Congress to actually

continue this war. President Trump blasted the vote on social media, calling it meaningless and unpatriotic. The president is also facing

backlash and other issues as well, including the $1.8 billion so-called anti-organization fund.

A day after the Acting Attorney General said the DOJ would not move forward with that controversial fund. The president says he's not sure if that fund

is dead after all. CNN's Lauren Fox joins us live now from Capitol Hill. So, Lauren, obviously this is a huge setback for the president, just the

fact that you had some members of his own party splitting with him on this.

Now, the big question is, even if this was to pass in the Senate as well, talk to us about the sort of legal authority for Congress to actually force

the American President to withdraw troops from Iran.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it is not really clear what would happen, it would often and likely have to be litigated, but

certainly this is a political message to the president, right, these votes have come up time and time again in both the House and in the Senate.

And what you saw yesterday was, for the first time, four Republicans, enough Republicans to vote with Democrats to actually get this across the

finish line, and to rebuke the president. And obviously one of those votes was Representative Thomas Massie. He's consistently voted this way on this

issue, but what changed was he got another Republican Representative Warren Davidson to vote with him.

That put them over the line between three Republicans and four Republicans, that was enough. Massie notably lost his primary challenge just a couple of

weeks ago to a Trump-backed challenger. So that just gives you a little bit of the political dynamic that's transpiring right now on Capitol Hill, but

I'll tell you that this isn't happening in a vacuum.

We also expect that today there's going to be a series of very tough votes for Republicans on the establishment of the president's weaponization fund.

And as you noted, Todd Blanche, his Acting Attorney General, made clear earlier this week on Capitol Hill that that fund was dead, that the legal

fight over it wasn't going to be pursued.

And yet Donald Trump has just left a little bit of wiggle room and the door open on that fund. The question is going to be whether or not Republicans

vote with Democrats to try to ultimately kill it and block it to make it known through legislation that, that is their intent and purpose.

And I will tell you that, that vote right now is transpiring on the Senate floor. We'll keep you posted on how that turns out.

[11:10:00]

ASHER: Right, Lauren Fox, live for us there. Thank you so much. Right, President Trump's Former National Security Adviser expected to plead guilty

to one count over his handling of sensitive documents. Sources tell CNN that John Bolton, who is now a critic of President Trump, has reached a

plea deal and has agreed to pay more than $2 million in fines.

It comes months after he was charged by prosecutors in Maryland for allegedly keeping diary entries in his home from his tenure of President

Trump's first term. Right, the biggest sporting event on earth is now just one week away. The opening match of the FIFA World Cup will be held on

Thursday, June 11th in Mexico City.

Momentum is building all over North America. CNN's Valeria Leon is joining us live now from Mexico City. That's where the first match will be played

next week. They also have a friendly with Serbia today, and one of the things that Mexico City is really having to battle with, they contend with

is the fact that there is so much congestion in Mexico City.

So, they're making a lot of changes to the transportation system there, Valeria.

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's correct, and also excitement is building here in Mexico City. There are many fans that are already counting

down, and also businesses are getting ready for waves of visitors. And authorities are putting final touches on months of preparations, but to get

thousands of visitors to this stadium, that might be one of the biggest tests during this tournament, and let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEON (voice-over): Traffic jams are a part of daily life in Mexico City. Now, with millions of World Cup fans expected to arrive, officials are

racing to keep one of the world's busiest capitals moving. New bike lanes, improved sidewalks, upgrades to public transport.

Among the biggest projects is a new 34-kilometer bike lane that stretches south toward Estadio Ciudad de Mexico. The venue set to host 5 of the 13

matches played in the country. But underground we found more than a few snacks.

LEON: This is the new bike lane in Mexico City, but as you can see here, pedestrians and also public transportation crossing through. Cyclists are

taking risks at this point.

LEON (voice-over): Ana Gonzalez uses this route frequently to get through, she often has to touch busses, cars, and people walking across the bike

path.

ANA GONZALEZ, CYCLIST: Pedestrians still need to adapt, especially when busses drop off passengers who cross without paying attention. A lot of

pedestrians also walk along the bike lane instead of the sidewalk.

LEON (voice-over): Mobility experts say the project is a step forward, but only a first step.

GONZALO PEON, DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTE FOR TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENT POLICY: The Tlalpan bike lane is really isolated. We no need to build lanes

perpendicular to it.

LEON (voice-over): But the city's mobility plan goes far beyond cycling. Officials say they're also ramping up the city's metro system, which has

been plagued in recent years with interruptions of service.

ADRIAN RUVALCABA, DIRECTOR OF MEXICO CITY METRO: Rain can affect service, so we're increasing the fleet from 28 to 32 trains to reduce wait times,

even during the rainy season.

LEON (voice-over): Public transport will be critical to meeting the spike in demand from the World Cup. According to the research group "Mexico Como

Vamos" the metro already moves around 6 million passengers every day. But its director warns the system is already overwhelmed.

SOFIA RAMIREZ, DIRECTOR OF "MEXICO COMO VAMOS": Mexico City sees an enormous number of trips every day. In a city of 9 million people, the

demand for transportation is already extremely high.

LEON (voice-over): For Mexico City, the World Cup will be more than a global celebration of soccer. It will be a test of whether millions of

people can move effectively through the city and not miss a match.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEON (on camera): And Mexico City's government has invested around $10 million in 80 infrastructure projects surrounding this area and preparing

to welcoming millions of fans for this World Cup, the third one in its history in this country, but also under FIFA restrictions, private parking

lot inside the stadium will be restricted on match days.

So that means that many fans and supporters coming next week for the opening match will have to rely on public transportation, shuttle services,

or long walks to reach this stadium.

[11:15:00]

So, for next week, all these preparations will be put to test in real time, Zain.

ASHER: Yeah, we all cannot wait to watch. Valeria Leon live for us there in Mexico City. Thank you so much. All right, still to come here on "One

World", a desperate search for an American student who disappeared during a family vacation in Japan. His family says happened just ahead.

Plus, ousted CBS News Anchor Scott Pelley is not going down without a fight. The latest terminal brewing at "60 Minutes" just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: Now, a statement of hope from the World Health Organization. The Director General says the organization is catching up with the Ebola

outbreak, specifically in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but Dr. Tedros says that challenges remain confirmed cases have actually risen to over 344

including 60 deaths.

And in an apparent shift in policy, the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, says Americans who test positive at a facility in Kenya could

end up being sent to the U.S. for treatment. President Trump previously said that no Ebola cases would be allowed into the country.

Rubio said Americans could be treated in the U.S. or in Europe. Right, a frantic search is underway in Japan for a missing American student. The

mother of James "Weston" Higginbotham says that they were on a family vacation when he decided to explore Kyoto on his own.

She said that she felt that something was amiss when his phone location was turned off. The 20-year-old is studying environmental engineering at

Alabama's Auburn University. He was last seen on CCTV footage last Friday in Kyoto on a path that led to a hiking trail.

For more on this, let's bring in CNN's Isabel Rosales. Isabel, I mean, this is such a sad story. What do we actually know at this point about what

might have happened to James?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, I spoke with his parents, and they don't know they are beside themselves. They are worried, they're so

desperate to find him. They're telling me they can't sleep, they can't eat, they are just researching, answering WhatsApp messages for any sign of

anyone who might have spotted him.

I mean, Zain, this started as a family vacation, something that was supposed to be fun to celebrate "Weston's" younger brother having graduated

high school, but this has now turned into something of a nightmare for this family with this urgent search underway in a mountainous, forested terrain

of Japan in the Kyoto area, for this Auburn University junior, there's dozens of police officers, K-9s, even a helicopter over this mountainous

terrain, trying to find him.

And even the family telling me numerous Japanese volunteers that have come out to help the family, helping them with translating, with putting up

flyers, anything that might help somebody have spotted him. This all started on Friday, that was the last day that they saw him.

[11:20:00]

The family tells me they got into a tiff about the use of ChatGPT, because "Weston" is an environmentalist, he doesn't appreciate the environmental

cost of AI. His mom was using ChatGPT. Well, they got into a tiff. They all agreed they needed their own space.

And then "Weston" went on to the metro there in Kyoto, off on his own, something that wouldn't be worrying for his family, because they describe

him as an experienced hiker, a solo traveler, somebody who's done this time and time again. That wasn't a worry.

What became a worry is when his tracking location services on his phone was suddenly turned off, and they couldn't hear from him. They never got a

phone call, didn't get a text. That's when they reached out to local authorities, and he has not been seen since Friday.

The money from his account, his credit cards, there's been no activity. He took off with just $62 and a bottle of water, his mother, by the way, spoke

on camera to my colleague Hanako Montgomery. Here's what she told him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY HIGGINBOTHAM, MOTHER OF MISSING STUDENT: 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. I want that back. I need him back, because a family of three is not the

Higginbotham's. We're a family of four.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: There is CCTV footage. Local authorities have told us that capture "Weston" walking away from Yamashina Station in Kyoto, walking toward an

area, you mentioned that off the top, Zain, an area that would lead to some hiking trails. This is why they're really zeroing in on that area.

And we have reached out to them, asking if this is still a missing persons case. They say that they have no evidence that this is any sort of a crime,

so this is indeed a search for someone who is missing.

ASHER: The story is so unbelievably sad, especially listening to Nancy there, just talking about having all the flashbacks and memories. I really

hope that he's found soon. Isabel Rosales. Thank you so much. Right, CBS News is facing major turmoil after the firing of longtime "60 Minutes"

Correspondent Scott Pelley.

The CBS Evening News aired a glowing tribute to Pelley during Wednesday night's broadcast with anchor Tony Dokoupil showing clips from Pelley's

decades long career at the network. Now the debate is growing over whether the firing is about politics or a shakeup of the network's culture. CNN's

Brian Stelter reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST (voice-over): CBS News is in crisis mode, following Scott Pelley's firing, with CBS staffers and viewers

wondering, is this about culture or politics?

SCOTT PELLEY, CBS EVENING NEWS ANCHOR, "60 MINUTES": Those stories tonight on "60 Minutes".

STELTER (voice-over): Pelley says politics are at play, claiming the new owner of the network is apparently trying to quote, curry a moment of favor

with the Trump Administration.

BARI WEISS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF CBS NEWS: I'm Bari Weiss, Editor-in-Chief of CBS News.

STELTER (voice-over): Weiss allies deny Pelley's charge. They say she's trying to reform the culture of "60 Minutes", a famously insular show that

she believes needs to be dragged into the digital age. Last week, Weiss ousted several top producers and two correspondents amid her controversial

efforts to overhaul the entire news division.

Pelley shouted out one of his fired colleagues during a recent Emmy ceremony.

PELLEY: -- I see Sharyn Alfonsi there in the audience.

STELTER (voice-over): And he was incensed by the firings, days later. On Monday, he tore into new "60 Minutes" Executive Producer Nick Bilton, a

former tech reporter with little TV experience. In front of the staff, Pelley depicted Bilton as unqualified for the job, and said he'd never be

welcome here.

Pelley also accused Weiss, who was not in the room, of murdering "60 Minutes". The comments leaked and became national news, even on CBS.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: According to CBS News management, efforts were made to see if both sides could reach common ground. Pelley met with senior

management of CBS News last night, and no agreement could be reached. Pelley was then informed by "60 Minutes" Executive Producer Nick Bilton

that CBS News and "60 Minutes" would have to part ways with Scott. He was terminated for cause.

STELTER (voice-over): In a letter justifying the firing, Bilton wrote that Pelley quote, hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my

qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt. Pelley has no regrets. He says, quote, the leadership of "60 Minutes" is no

longer recognizable.

The principles I hold dear are gone, and so I must leave as well. On Wednesday, he disputed Weiss' version of events, saying Weiss misled the

staff when she said that CBS tried to quote, find a way back and keep Pelley at the network.

STELTER: So, Pelley is not going down without a fight, and he has lots of support from CBS News veterans who say the show does not need fixing in the

first place. They point to the high ratings and the stacks of awards. They fear that this overhaul by Paramount is an attempt to appease President

Trump.

At the same time, Paramount needs Trump Administration approval for its deal to buy CNN and the rest of Warner Bros. Discovery. My sources close to

CBS News management reject that. They say this is not about politics. It's about culture change.

[11:25:00]

Ultimately, viewers are the judges, viewers get to decide if brands like CBS are living up to their storied legacies and valuable reputations. Brian

Stelter, CNN, Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right, stay with CNN. There is much more "One World" in about 30 minutes time. But CNN "Creators" is up next.

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