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What We Know with Max Foster

Trump Holds Call With Putin Over Ukraine's Drone Attacks; Trump Raises Tariffs On Steel, Aluminum Imports From 25 Percent To 50 Percent; Elon Musk Calls Budget Bill A "Disgusting Abomination"; GHF: Gaza Aid Distribution Sites Temporarily Shut; Chinese Researchers Charged For Smuggling Pathogen Into U.S. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired June 04, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:27]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Hello.

Russia's Vladimir Putin tells Donald Trump he plans to respond to Ukraine's recent attacks.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

The U.S. president has an ominous warning, really, for Ukraine just days after Kyiv's audacious attack on Moscow's strategic bombers. That

operation, also apparently coming as a surprise to the U.S., Donald Trump says his call with Vladimir Putin lasted about 75 minutes. On social media,

Trump writes it was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace. President Putin did say, and very strongly,

they'll have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields.

The Kremlin confirms President Putin also held a, quote, constructive conversation with Pope Leo XIV earlier today.

Nic Robertson is here with us.

Just on the response from Russia, presumably, you're not surprised by that?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: No, it does seem that President Putin is on a sort of a charm offensive because apparently during

his conversation with the pope, he talked about how he was trying to reunite these more than or many thousands of children that Ukraine says

have been taken to Russia illegally. In fact, there's a war crimes charge against President Putin based on this. But he told the pope, apparently,

according to the Kremlin, that they were working hard to try to reunite these families.

It was, in the -- in the way that the Kremlin presents it, it does seem that it was a sort of a charm offensive, having the Kremlin already said,

well, the Vatican isn't a good place to host peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, when for a while that had seemed like the thing to do.

And I think when you move on and look at the conversation where President Trump, again, as you're saying there, Trump has a habit of echoing the

person he last spoke to and by saying Putin told me, I have to respond to Ukraine's audacious drone strikes on Russia's bomber fleet over the

weekend, it was absent any of the language that said, and I told him there's a better way. I told him, let's go for peace, or I told him this.

It was absent to that.

And then when you listen to some of the other things the Kremlin said about the call, which is blaming Ukraine for the breakdown in talks accusing

Ukraine of terrorism, for blowing up a couple of railway bridges last weekend, civilians inside Russia, when this happened were injured and

killed. But I think for those in Kyiv and who study the Kremlin's position closely, it will ring hollow that the Kremlin is accusing Ukraine of

terrorism for killing civilians when Russia does that day by day, night by night.

FOSTER: Yeah.

In terms of progress, as you say, you know, you use the word absent. Has Donald Trump stepped back from this? I mean, what was the call about? It

doesn't seem to be pushing for a deal in his language in the same way as he was.

ROBERTSON: Yeah. One of the interesting things, sort of. This has been a day of two parts. The early part of the day was all about NATO and the U.S.

representatives there. The defense ministers meeting for tomorrow and not present at the Ukraine, contact group, defense contact group there.

But we did hear from the U.S. ambassador to NATO saying hugely important that NATO nations all give 5 percent of GDP towards their defense spending,

because that's the requirement. The reason given is because the Kremlin is ramping up its military preparations, and NATO needs to stay ahead of that.

So, it's sort of contradictory messages.

And you also had, of course, Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, setting this up and saying, absolutely, this is going to be a big push. We

have to equip more. We have to get our ammunition ready faster. He pointed to the fact that Russia are 1/25 of the GDP of NATO. Russia produces four

times the amount of ammunition in a quarter of the time. I mean, the stats were shocking the way that the NATO leadership and the U.S. representative

are presenting them.

So, on the one hand, in the morning, it's all about NATO needing to do more because Russia is a huge threat. Yet at the end of the day, you have the

U.S. president sounding sympathetic to Russia.

FOSTER: Yeah, Nick, thank you very much indeed.

U.S. trade partners from around the world bracing for impact after President Donald Trump doubled U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports

to 50 percent today for most countries. The U.S. steel industry is naturally applauding the move, but critics warn it could lead to higher

prices on products such as cars and appliances. Amid those tariff increases, tensions appear to be rising between American and Chinese trade

negotiators.

[15:05:04]

In an online post, Mr. Trump wrote that Chinese leader Xi Jinping is very tough and extremely hard to make a deal with.

A quick check on how the markets responded to that. The Dow is down only slightly, though the S&P and the Nasdaq are up, but less than 1 percent.

Let's go straight to Vanessa Yurkevich, who's in New York.

What can we read into those figures, Vanessa?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Well, if you're looking at the markets, they've been mostly flat all day, not really

reacting to these steel tariffs so much. And these this back and forth with China just because they've had a little bit of time to digest this news

already knowing that the steel tariffs were coming and the conversations with China, they knew there would be negotiations over the next 90 days as

both countries sort of dropped their tariff rates.

But on steel in particular, this is a significant escalation. It's from going from 25 percent to 50 percent. And let's not forget just how many

goods and products are made from steel and aluminum. We're talking about cars and trucks there on your screen. Home appliances, machinery,

machinery, airplanes, building materials and food and beverage cans.

And here in the United States, we get a significant amount of steel and aluminum steel from other countries. We do produce a lot here in the United

States. But look at this is steel, for example. We get a lot from Canada, Brazil and then other key trading partners like Mexico, South Korea and 39

percent from other countries that are now going to be hit with that 50 percent tariff.

On aluminum, we definitely get a lot more from Canada. Look at that. The majority, 58 percent coming in from Canada, our trading partner to the

north. Thats why we're watching conversations with Canada so closely just to see if there's any movement that can be done on any of these tariffs,

especially for steel and aluminum right there.

But here's what's happening is now that foreign steel prices are going up in terms of importing them into the U.S., that is actually sending U.S.

steel prices up. You can see just in the last month, steel prices rose by about 6 percent. And that is because U.S. steel producers are saying, well,

hey, why am I going to give the steel away for free if to get it somewhere else is much more expensive?

You have the steel industry though, cheering this new tariff, this increase in tariff, because they believe that people are going to buy steel here in

the United States, more so than other countries. And that will create more jobs in the steel industry. But on the flip side, Max, as I laid out, if

steel is more expensive across the board, it is going to cost more to make all of those items that are made with steel and aluminum, and that could

actually have a downstream impact for jobs in those industries.

So, you sort of see this dual edged sword situation where one industry cheering these moves, but other industries worried about what it means for

their businesses and for jobs in their sector, Max.

FOSTER: Okay, Vanessa, thank you so much for that.

Now, the impact of Elon Musk's scathing criticism of President Trump's so- called "Big, Beautiful Bill" is being felt across the political spectrum. The billionaire is calling the bill a disgusting abomination online. Musk

joining some members of the president's party, such as Senator Rand Paul, in opposing the legislation.

The stunning turn of events has flipped the script on Capitol Hill, too, with Democrats embracing Musk's comments, while many Republicans push back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: It surprised me, frankly. And I don't take it personal. We don't take it personal. You know, he's a -

- policy differences are not personal.

I think he's flat wrong. I think he's way off on this. And I've told him as much, and I've said it publicly and privately. I'm very consistent in that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Kevin Liptak is at the White House. It is extraordinary to see this relationship blow up.

How are you reading it?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, yeah, certainly, the rift is growing between Trump and his one-time shadow, essentially here at

the White House, Elon Musk. I wouldn't say that it has completely ruptured. Trump and Musk have always had quite a complicated relationship that didn't

necessarily progress an ordinary political lines.

Musk's time at the White House has ended, and I think what we're seeing in some ways is an effect of his no longer having a whole lot of proximity to

President Trump clearly feels more willing to voice his differences with the president and with the White House. He claims that his problem with

this bill is that it would explode the U.S. deficit that matches which with what a number of Republicans in the Senate feel as well.

But I also think we should note that Musk's company, Tesla, would stand to be hurt by some of what's in this bill, namely stripping back some of the

credits for electric vehicles. And so, you see a number of factors sort of playing in to his criticism here.

[15:10:00]

When you talk to White House officials -- yes, the president was unhappy. Yes, they're irritated by the timing of all of this, which comes just as

the president is pressing these Republicans to get in line. But they don't necessarily think that this will have an enormous effect on the fate of

this massive piece of legislation. For one, Musk is not particularly politically popular at the moment.

You remember back just earlier this year when he waded into a race in Wisconsin. He was thoroughly defeated, and I think there was a recognition

among Republicans that his political brand is severely damaged. So I don't think a lot of Republicans necessarily feel a lot of affinity with him or

any sort of desire to link themselves with his cause.

You also hear an enormous amount of pressure from Trump to come in line, and we should say that Trump's political brand remains as strong as ever,

at least among the Republican base. And so if you're a Republican trying to decide exactly how to go here, I think many of them will choose President

Trump over Elon Musk.

The one sort of factor that you have to put into play here is whether or not Musk will put the enormous resources that he has behind primary

challengers to some of these Republicans. He's the world's richest man, he has said, although he will not spend as much as he did during last year's

presidential election, that he will have a role in the upcoming midterm elections.

And so that could potentially factor into all of this. And that, I think, is still the great unknown for these Republicans as they determine how to

proceed.

FOSTER: Kevin, thank you so much for that. Something to watch, certainly.

A newly created program for getting aid to starving people in Gaza on hold today. Meanwhile, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has paused all aid

distribution temporarily. The GHF says it wants to address how to handle the massive crowds.

The suspension comes after dozens of Palestinians have been killed over the past three days whilst heading to the food aid centers.

More now from CNN's Jeremy Diamond. He's in Tel Aviv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, the controversial U.S. and Israeli backed aid delivery mechanism for Gaza has shut down its

operations for today. The Gaza humanitarian foundation said that it was not going to be operational today, as it carries out what it describes as

logistical work to improve the ability of this site to handle the large numbers of Palestinians who have been arriving at this site in southern

Gaza.

But of course, what is in the background of this and what GHF is not saying outwardly, is the fact that it comes following three consecutive days

during which more than 60 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, while trying to get to these aid sites,

eyewitnesses and doctors at local hospitals have said that it is Israeli gunfire that has been responsible for killing those Palestinians and

wounding hundreds more over the course of just the last three days. And that seems to be what is prompting this effort by both the Gaza

Humanitarian Foundation and the Israeli military, which has said that it is declaring these routes to that site a, quote/unquote, combat zone for now,

to try and do some work here to improve those routes.

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation spokesman also told me that they have asked the Israeli military to implement three things: measures to guide foot

traffic, clearer IDF guidance on how Palestinians should get to these sites and when they should and should not. And also, and this is very interesting

to, quote, enhance IDF force training and refine internal IDF procedures to support safety. And that certainly suggests that there has been a

conversation between the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and the Israeli military about their rules of engagement and the fact that they have fired

upon Palestinians who are on their way to this aid site.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Jeremy Diamond reporting for us there.

Coming up, two Chinese researchers are charged with bringing in a dangerous pathogen into the U.S. when the FBI says can be used as a biological

weapon. We'll have the details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:17:20]

FOSTER: Two Chinese researchers have been charged with smuggling a fungus into the U.S. that can cause health problems in livestock and humans. The

criminal complaint says they plan to study it at the University of Michigan, a lab there, the pathogen is described as, quote, a potential

agroterrorism weapon that can cause disease in wheat, corn and rice, for instance. This comes as the Trump administration is looking to revoke visas

for Chinese students, including those in, quote, critical fields.

Security correspondent Josh Campbell standing by for us.

I mean, there happened a while ago, didn't it, Josh?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It did. This was about a year ago, but we're just now learning about these criminal charges. And it's

important to state at the outset the Justice Department isn't accusing this couple of terrorism. They're not saying that they were using this fungus

for some type of nefarious purpose, but they have been criminally charged.

And just to tell you about what this material is, according to prosecutors, I'll read you from this criminal complaint. They say that this material,

fusarium graminearum, is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year. The toxins produced by fusarium can cause

vomiting, liver damage and reproductive defects in livestock and in humans.

What they say is about a year ago, the boyfriend, one of the researchers, was stopped at an airport in the state of Michigan and his bags were

searched by customs officials, and they found in a crumpled up tissue some of this fungus material. He said that he -- at first, he said he didn't

know what it was, but authorities then later determined that he was carrying it to his girlfriend, another researcher, so that they could study

it. They have been charged with charges including smuggling, lying to federal investigators, as well as visa violations as well. Again, those

charges are just coming out this week.

Now, the U.S. attorney general came out with a statement after this was announced. She said that the Department of Justice has no higher mission

than keeping the American people safe and protecting the nation from hostile foreign actors. This defendant, who clandestinely attempted to

bring a destructive substance into the U.S., will face years behind bars.

Of course, it's too soon to determine whether they will be convicted, whether there will be some type of plea. But obviously charges are on the

table here.

Finally, it's worth pointing out that, you know, from an intelligence and law enforcement standpoint, this doesn't really fit the mode that the FBI

has said in the past about the Chinese government. They've claimed that the Chinese government has tried to exfiltrate research to essentially steal

information for their own purposes. We haven't seen it in the past, really, them trying to infiltrate material into the U.S.

So again, no terrorism charges on the table right now, but they are facing very serious smuggling charges, Max.

FOSTER: Yeah. Josh, thank you so much.

[15:20:01]

As Josh was just saying, its alleged the researchers smuggled the pathogen into the U.S. last summer. These charges come as the Trump administration

looks into revoking visas for Chinese students.

So, what we want to know is, why have these researchers been charged now?

Joining me is Juliette Kayyem, CNN senior national security analyst and a Harvard professor.

What do you think, Juliette?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So, I think the timing is not coincidental. And I think the Trump administration would

agree with me on that. Having said, in the last few weeks that, generally, international students are going to be denied access. And then more

specifically, in the last two weeks, Chinese international students or visa holders, work permits were going to be targeted or denied, that that

atmosphere is buttressed by a year-long or year ago criminal complaint that, as Josh said, is not a terrorism complaint. It's a smuggling

complaint over something that could be very, very dangerous.

But a year later, I think that the timing, even if it's a grave situation is very much consistent with what the White House wants China and Chinese

students to actually believe, which this is an unwelcome place for those -- for Chinese researchers and students.

FOSTER: We heard Pam Bondi talking about them facing years behind bars. Obviously, premature because the court hasn't decided that. But yeah, very

clearly a message coming from the Trump administration about keeping America safe. And in the context of Chinese students being in the U.S.,

perhaps getting intelligence through their work.

KAYYEM: That -- I mean, look, I'm at a at a university with a lot of international students and a lot of Chinese international students. We are

generally notified as a faculty member that that, you know, these Chinese students are allowed here. They are -- they are legitimately enrolled.

But if you know, some start to ask weird questions or whatever, it just basically if you see something, say something that's totally natural,

right? Because you we obviously have conflicts with China, and we want to make sure none of the students are doing any of the bidding for the

government. We believe the students to be independent. Academics or independent students.

So that's totally normal and nothing that anyone who knew how this worked would be sort of freaked out about. What's difference is, of course, the

assumption that all those students are de facto agents of an enemy state. That's essentially what Bondi is saying. And that and that the threat is

not simply you won't come to the country, but that you'll be in jail in this country. I think that's what the threat is.

It isn't, you know, these weren't these were not indictments for people who were in China. One of them is now in jail. The allegations in the complaint

are they're -- they're not absurd. They didn't make it up. Something maybe weird was going on, or maybe the students got nervous. I don't know, but

it's not like this is a case in which we could prove, oh, the Chinese are using students as a as a threat to our economy.

This is a parasite or this is a -- they actually call it, excuse the language, but vomitoxin because it basically makes livestock vomit. But

this is not something that if you wanted to, to make Americans sick or release a toxin is something that that would be high on your list to do so.

FOSTER: Nevertheless, it does -- they do seem to have taken a massive risk here. You know, with your national security hat on, how concerned are you

that this was allowed to happen? And, you know, away from the politics, would you see it as a positive thing that they're being investigated and

could be punished severely for this?

KAYYEM: Yes. I mean, I do think I think look, I think the transfer of toxins or prescribed substances is generally a bad idea and one that should

be prosecuted. What I want to know in terms of the strength of the case is, is there what one is? I want to know their defense, right? Is -- are the

allegations in the indictment accurate? And if they are accurate, what is their defense? Did they not know it. Did they -- were they getting nervous

or was there a nefarious purpose?

The government alleges that there are. And that's -- what's in the -- that's what's in the indictment right now. And we'll find out more about

whether there's any defenses. But obviously, I mean, a couple of things here. I mean, one is obviously this is a statement to Chinese students who

might have other options.

I think the threat of jail is very different than the threat of having to leave mid-semester.

[15:25:06]

That's just a -- for obvious reasons. And is one that I think the Trump administration is very, very comfortable making that Donald Trump said this

morning that negotiations with China were very difficult and not progressing.

And I think that they're going to start to negotiate the economic and tariff issues around sort of satellite issues, and that's going to impact

the Chinese students.

FOSTER: Juliette Kayyem from Harvard, thank you very much for joining us.

Now, we know there's a trade war between the U.S. and China. But it seems there's an A.I. propaganda war being waged as well. We'll have the details

on those images.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Returning to our top story, peace talks between Russia and Ukraine appear to be facing a major derailment. President Donald Trump and Vladimir

Putin held a lengthy phone call today as the war in Ukraine escalates, the Russian leader reportedly saying he will respond to Kyiv's recent attacks.

What Mr. Trump didn't say is whether he discouraged Mr. Putin from taking action.

We don't know is can Donald Trump convince Vladimir Putin to stop the war?

Joining me now, chief national affairs correspondent Jeff Zeleny, speaking to Nic a little earlier on you, kind of raises the question of how involved

Donald Trump wants to be in this at the moment. He appears to have stepped back a bit.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: He did, and he has. And that's been some -- it's been happening for some weeks, Max.

[15:30:00]

I mean, President Trump repeatedly says this is not his war. It's a war that would not have happened if he was in power. That's quite beside the

point at this station.

But the president of -- the U.S. president making this announcement on truth social that he spoke with Vladimir Putin, even though it was about an

hour and 15-minute phone call. That's about half the length of their most recent phone call.

But so striking in this what the White House did not say, what the U.S. president did not say is if he tried to reason or encourage or suggest

Vladimir Putin to only strike military targets, have a measured response, et cetera., he did not talk about that at all. So that's certainly an open

question going into this.

But the bottom line is, after the Ukrainians quite stealth and remarkable attacks both over the weekend and again this week, it just puts the idea of

the peace process just so far out of reach. And that clearly is a frustration to the U.S. president.

FOSTER: It does appear to -- his relationship with Putin seems to be different from other world leaders, doesn't it? He seems some people say

deferential. Some people say he's got a bit of a blind spot there. But, you know, we didn't listen in on the call. We don't know how tough it was. But

what's your feeling?

ZELENY: My guess is not that tough. If everything we know from their relationship, from the first administration and now we've seen very few

indications of Donald Trump, at least when he's talking with Vladimir Putin of being sort of harsh, if you will.

But in recent weeks, the U.S. president has said he's disappointed with the Vladimir Putin. He says he doesn't like what he's been seeing, but he also

in the next breath, that was before these latest attacks by Ukraine. So, there's no doubt that Donald Trump has been deferential.

But the word I hear now when I talk to White House officials is a disappointment. Donald Trump thought that he could bring this conflict to a

close. He even sort of had these wild notions of getting a Nobel Peace Prize for doing so. It seems like it is very far out of reach. It seems

that Donald Trump's actions here, the persuasion has not worked.

And even as Republican senators here in the U.S. on Capitol Hill are talking about sanctions for Russia, the White House is not really

responding or adding their voice to that as well. So, there are many who would not be surprised if Donald Trump would walk away from this. And of

course, that would leave Ukraine, certainly in a weak position and in the lurch, if you will.

FOSTER: Yeah, with just Europe to support them. Jeff, thank you so much for that.

ZELENY: Sure.

FOSTER: China is also on the Trump administrations mind. And even though Donald Trump sees himself as the master of the art of the deal, he's

finding it heavy going, trying to make a trade deal with Beijing. So, he's taking a swipe at the Chinese President. Xi Jinping is, quote, extremely

hard to make a deal with.

This comes as trade tensions continue to rise between Washington and Beijing. And now Chinese state media are taking some swipes of their own at

the U.S. president, with the help of A.I.

Here's CNN's Will Ripley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This A.I.-generated anime is going viral in China, portraying U.S. President

Donald Trump as a tariff wielding superhero. It's one of several recent videos mocking Trump's trade war policies, many of them created with A.I.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): You taxed each truck, you taxed each tire. Midwest's burnin' in your dumpster fire.

RIPLEY: China's English language broadcaster produced this video blaming Trump's tariffs for U.S. inflation and global instability. The video echoes

Beijing's official stance.

Since the U.S. imposition of the unilateral tariff measures, it has not resolved any of its own issues, she says, and has instead severely

undermined the international economic and trade order.

China's Xinhua news agency produced this A.I. animation, featuring a robot named Tariff programmed to impose trade restrictions.

ROBOT: I now choose death to end the harm.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please don't do this.

ROBOT: Goodbye, Dr. Mallory.

RIPLEY: The robot self-destructs rather than obey orders to raise tariffs.

A.I.-generated clips like these showing Trump and Elon Musk hard at work in factories have been flooding China's tightly controlled social media

platforms for months, all untouched by Beijing's army of online censors designed to push Chinas narrative the U.S. is making a fool of itself and,

more importantly, losing ground to China in the global trade war President Trump started.

China's foreign trade has been able to withstand the difficulties, he says, maintaining steady growth and showing strong resilience to maintain

competitiveness on the international front.

[15:35:02]

China's bureau of statistics put out numbers claiming exports are actually rising despite the trade war, partially due to a surge in orders before the

tariffs kicked in. Outside observers often question the accuracy of China's numbers, which are impossible to independently verify.

At this Chinese textile plant, the director says the U.S. no longer dominates their strategy.

The trade war made me realize the U.S. is just a small part of the global market, he says. We'd rather bring Chinese products to the rest of the

world, reasonably priced, high quality, and let more people benefit.

China's top diplomat is also firing back. Wang Yi reportedly telling new U.S. Ambassador David Perdue, the U.S.-China relationship is at a critical

juncture. The Chinese readout of the meeting also says, David Perdue stated that President Trump greatly respects President Xi Jinping -- far from

tough talk, China claims ahead of that likely crucial call between Trump and Xi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY (on camera): They sure do have a lot to talk about. The 90-day trade truce they brokered in Geneva is unraveling right now. At stake, rare earth

minerals vital for U.S. tech and defense, which China is still restricting. Washington's latest retaliatory moves include tech sanctions and student

visa bans. Both sides are now accusing the other of undermining the agreement, which is putting global markets and supply chains on edge.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

FOSTER: Still come, a closer look at the Chilean judge who is seeking justice for the thousands of babies stolen decades ago. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Justice is on the horizon in Chile. Decades after thousands of babies were stolen from their biological mothers and sold into adoption,

many of them abroad. It happened during the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. That was from `73 to 1990.

Rafael Romo takes a look at the judge who is prosecuting those involved in the scandal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIMMY LIPPERT THYDEN, STOLEN AS A BABY IN CHILE: My mother, my mama, she gave birth to me one month premature. They told her, you know. Oh, he looks

jaundiced. You know, he looks yellow. We need to put him in an incubator.

And they carried me out of there before she could hold me. Before she could name me, they carried me out. And then they came back and told her that I

had died.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That's how the story of Jimmy Lippert Thyden begins.

Born in Chile, he says he was stolen from his biological mother and sold to be made available for adoption by an American couple who had no idea about

the truth.

THYDEN: They never believed for one second they were buying a child. They never would have -- would have done that.

ROMO: It's the story of tens of thousands of children in Chile who were torn apart from their families in the `70s and `80s during the dictatorship

of General Augusto Pinochet. And now, for the first time, a Chilean judge is prosecuting five people who allegedly were involved in the theft of

babies in Chile in the `70s and `80s.

As part of the investigation, the judge has determined that lawyers, priests of the Catholic Church, members of social organizations, health

officials and a judge were part of a ring that focused on abducting or stealing infants for monetary gain, with the purpose of taking them out of

the country to different destinations in Europe and the U.S., and charging as much as $50,000.

Over the last decade, CNN has documented cases of people stolen as babies in Chile who have reunited with their biological mothers decades later,

after taking a DNA test to prove the relationship.

Scott Lieberman, an American born in Chile, is one of them.

SCOTT LIEBERMAN, STOLEN AS A BABY IN CHILE: I didn't know what happened. I lived 42 years of my life without knowing that I was stolen, knowing what -

- what was happening down in Chile during the `70s and `80s. And I just -- I want people to know. People need to know there are families out there

that they can still be reunited.

ROMO: Scott Lieberman says he always knew that he was adopted from Chile. What he did not know was the whole truth about how the adoption happened.

He found out that in the `70s and `80s, there had been many cases of babies stolen in Chile and sold to adoption agencies, and began to wonder if the

same thing had happened to him.

The government of Chile named a special prosecutor in 2015 to investigate cases of stolen babies, and then a second one, who last year said that he

hadn't been able to establish that any crimes had been committed.

But Chilean President Gabriel Boric created a task force last year to investigate the cases, and has publicly stated that many babies were stolen

for a long time and handed over to foreign families in the United States and Europe.

On Sunday, he announced the Chilean government will create a genetic fingerprint bank that will provide additional means of searching for

origins and enable family reunification. Giving hope to the many people in Chile and abroad who are still seeking long lost families.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now, Constanza del Rio is one of those stolen children and heads an NGO now helping others in her situation. She joins us from Santiago, Chile.

Thank you so much.

I know that for many years, so many mothers in particular were talking about this, and, you know, everyone said they were, you know, mad. This

didn't happen. It's only recently really that people have taken you seriously.

CONSTANZA DEL RIO, FOUNDER & DIRECTOR, NOS BUSCAMOS: Yeah. Thank you very much for this. It's a good thing to be in an international because we

started here with Rafael Romo in 2014 I think, when they call us the children of silence. Ten years has passed, 11, and we are on a -- on a

point that we need to move faster.

The judge doing what he said two days ago is the first step in ten years to persecute the real bad people here, not the adoptive parents or the

biological families.

FOSTER: Just explain your story because you know it must have come taken a very long time to come to terms with. But just explain what happened with

your adoption, if I can call it that and how you found out about it.

DEL RIO: Yeah, I was -- now, I'm 52. I am the founder and the director of an organization called Nos Buscamos. We are looking for each other here in

Chile. And when I turn 39, my parents told me that I was not their biological daughter.

[15:45:02]

At the beginning, I didn't understand what they were talking about. But in a couple of minutes, I understood that that I was -- I was irregular or

tricky adopted because I was -- I'm not adopted like by a legal institution here in Chile. They just registered me as their own child. And 39 years

later, they confessed that I was not from there. So that's when my journey started.

Sometimes people said that we are -- why are we looking for our biological families or why are we searching? And they think that this is just a

capriccio, a thing that we want. It's not that. It's we need it. It's our right to know what happened. It's our right to know who our parents are or

family.

And that's why I started Nos Buscamos seeking for my own family. And after that, after I found my family, thanks to a DNA called My Heritage (ph), I

found my family, my mother, and then I found my father. Only, it took me, like a year and a half. And it's -- for me, it's -- I know that it's very,

very lucky.

The normal people, the regular adoptees or kidnaped from Chile, they take forever. And some of them, there, maybe there will never find out where the

stories are. So, I was very lucky. And that's why we -- not only me, we continue with our NGO here in Chile.

FOSTER: I just ask you what your relationship is like with the parents you grew up with because they bought you, didn't they? Obviously, didn't ask

enough questions.

DEL RIO: Yeah. No, no, they're still my parents. My father passed away like 5 or 6 years ago, but they're still my parents. I loved them a lot.

But, of course, there's lies in between and they defend theirselves that the people, other people told them that this was the way to do the things

to --

FOSTER: That's part of your issue, isn't it? Youve got so many organizations complicit in this. You know why you weren't being heard?

There was it was across the board from the hospitals to the authorities, everyone sort of getting a cut, really, in this huge industry at the time.

DEL RIO: Yeah, they were just skipping in the line because they wanted to do it faster and they wanted to control the situation. This is very hard to

explain, but children here in Chile were treated. We, as I was treated like an object, like they asked for a baby girl, newborn, with a European kind

of, genotypes, and they didn't want to adopt like someone from the -- our Indian people here in Chile.

So, they ask for like a product and all the adoptees around the world, Jimmy and Scott that we heard recently, they were asked like that, we want

a boy. We want a girl or a couple of brothers or sisters or siblings, whatever. So, they were skipping the line and there were many institutions

like our government, Chilean Pinochet government was on top of this because they allowed this.

And recently we found out a couple of weeks ago, we found out there were like a public policy. And we found this paper documents in the national

archive. So, it was something that Pinochet was trying to do. He wanted to take away people who -- children from the people who are not with him, the

poor people, the vulnerable people. They were not with Pinochet, of course.

And they -- Pinochet was trying to get rid of these babies because he didn't want to have them in the future against him. So, we found this

paperwork and a paper documents. And this has public policy from Chile in 1978 and is signed by him.

FOSTER: I mean, it's so frighteningly recent, isn't it, as well. But, good luck with your work. I know how complicated it is, but you're making a huge

impact.

Constanza del Rio, thank you so much for joining us.

We'll be back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:52:08]

FOSTER: The recent collapse of multiple glaciers are worrying many scientists, of course, and a new study makes a bleak prediction that

glaciers around the world will eventually shrink by about 40 percent just over the next few years.

Here's Derek Van Dam with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: A glacier's partial collapse buries a village in the Swiss Alps. Thankfully, it's roughly 300 residents had

already evacuated, but even the few homes that weren't engulfed by ice, mud and rock flooded in the aftermath. One resident is still missing.

MYLENE JACQUEMART, GLACIOLOGIST, ETH ZURICH: What you see is just something that like on paper you knew could happen. But then when you see it, it's --

just takes your breath away.

VAN DAM: Days earlier, cracking sounds within Argentina's Perito Moreno glacier, a last second signal before an ice block the height of a 20-story

building falls into the water below.

LUCAS RUIZ, GLACIOLOGIST: Climate change is happening. It's present not only in the melting or retreat of glaciers, but we also see it reflected in

the instruments we have installed around the region.

VAN DAM: And last month, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres issuing a warning to the Nepali government.

ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: Record temperatures have meant record glacier melt. Nepal today is on thin ice, losing close to one third

of its size in just over 30 years.

VAN DAM: These phenomena mark a bleak new reality, a new study says nearly 40 percent of the total mass of the world's glaciers is doomed, even if

global temperatures stopped rising today. With this irreversible trend likely to cause a 113 millimeter rise in global sea level, meaning more

scenes like those in Switzerland and Argentina in all corners of the planet.

But that's assuming matters don't get worse. If world climate policies continue as they are, the study finds that 40 percent figure will jump to

76 percent. The difference between those numbers, one scientist says, is the difference between whether or not countries will be able to adapt to

this glacier loss.

The study's authors don't want to be alarmist, but rather provide facts and spread an encouraging message, co-leader Lilian Schuster told CNN her team

wants to show we can preserve this glacier ice with every tenth of a degree less of global warming, a beacon of hope for a world prognosis that is

nothing short of dire.

Derek Van Dam, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now, Meghan, the duchess of Sussex, sharing a birthday photo of Princess Lilibet. This picture posted on Meghan's Instagram earlier today

celebrating her daughter's fourth birthday. And what's unusual about it is it's the first time we've seen the front of Lilibet's head. Normally, it's

the back of her head.

[15:55:00]

So, it's first sort of public glimpse, really, of this little princess born after Meghan and Harry stepped back from their roles as senior royals and

she was born in the U.S. Meghan and Harry have guarded their privacy pretty closely. They're doing it a bit in this picture, but by not showing a whole

face but showing some of it so they are sort of revealing her to the world in a way there.

Finally, tonight, sometimes you just can't stop a snack attack. In Thailand, this 27-year-old elephant apparently has a sweet tooth, consuming

multiple treats at a local convenience store. This elephant, pretty well known in the area, but he usually just wanders through, not into the

stores. Not so speedy though, as a thief, took about ten minutes in the end. And he was stealing about ten bags of sweets.

I'm Max Foster. That was WHAT WE KNOW.

"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" up next.

END

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