Return to Transcripts main page
What We Know with Max Foster
Pentagon Defends Iran Strikes, Says Mission Went As Planned; Iran's Supreme Leader Says His Country "Crushed" Israel; Netanyahu Urges Expansion Of Regional Peace Accords; Zelenskyy Speaks, As U.S. Says It Might Send Patriot Missiles; U.S. Senators Speak After Classified Briefing On Iran; GDP Data: U.S. Economy Shrank 0.5 Percent In First Quarter. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired June 26, 2025 - 15:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:15]
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Fire, fury and fresh new details from the Pentagon.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
"The U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites went as planned," this is the message from the Pentagon at a news conference today, U.S. Defense
Secretary Pete Hegseth defended what he called historically successful attacks. He doubled down on President Donald Trump's claims that Iran's
nuclear program was obliterated while criticizing the media for reporting early intelligence that the facilities were only damaged.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine, shared test footage of the bunker buster bombs used. He says Iran attempted to cover
the main shafts of its nuclear facilities with concrete ahead of that attack. General Caine said the bombs were able to uncover the concrete caps
and explode underground as designed.
Here's what we know about the weapons that were used.
(BGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. DAN CAINE, CHAIRMAN OF THE U.S. JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: Here's what we know following the attacks and the strikes on Fordow -- first, that the
weapons were built, tested and loaded properly. Two, the weapons were released on speed and on parameters. Three, the weapons, all guided to
their intended targets, and to their intended aim points. Four, the weapons functioned as designed, meaning they exploded.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, senior national security correspondent Natasha Bertrand joins us from the Pentagon.
I mean, it's still too early to say, isn't it? I'm sure that's what all the experts are saying. But the White House really doubling down on the
obliteration. But the military side were less clear on that.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Max, it was definitely a split screen that you saw between the more political defense
of the military operation on Saturday from Secretary of Defense Hegseth and the operational details that were laid out in much more neutral terms by
the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine.
Now, General Caine, he did reveal some very interesting new details about what the military believes about how successful the actual operation was in
terms of hitting its target, in terms of actually getting the bombs where they intended to put them. Notably, he said that they have confidence that
these bombs, these massive ordnance penetrator, bunker buster bombs, actually, did successfully go down the shafts of these nuclear of this
single nuclear facility, Fordow, in Iran.
And that is significant because, of course, in order to penetrate deep underground, those very key facilities at Fordo, you need that bomb to go
underground and actually explode. And so, the suggestion that he was making earlier today is that those bombs successfully hit their target. And
therefore, extrapolating from that, they have confidence that much of this was damaged.
And so, the question now, of course, is what comes beyond that extrapolation? Because they are essentially saying that they assume that
these underground facilities were very much knocked out because of the bomb and because of the power of the bomb. But of course, they don't have people
on the ground to actually assess the damage right now as it stands.
And so that is part of what Dan Caine was saying earlier today. He said, look, we don't do the battle damage assessment here. That is going to be up
to the intelligence community. And that is still quite a ways out.
And so, as for this DIA assessment, the Defense Intelligence Agency assessment that we reported on earlier this week, it was preliminary. It
was not the judgment of the entire intelligence community, but it did say that as of right now, the belief is that it was only setting back -- the
strikes were only setting back Iran's nuclear program by a matter of months.
Now, of course, we'll have to wait and see what the assessment looks like here, Max.
FOSTER: Okay, Natasha, thank you for the update.
Now, amid questions about just how effective America's bombs are, Iran tries to claim victory against Israel. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a
defiant video message and a direct message to the Iranian people. It's his first appearance since the fragile ceasefire that followed the hits on
Tehran's nuclear installations. Despite major military losses, the ayatollah says, his country has, in his words, crushed Israel.
CNN was able to travel to the holy city of Qom. It's near Fordow, which is one of the nuclear facilities struck by the U.S. after Fred Pleitgen spoke
to clerics there who say the conflict is only strengthened their faith.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the holy shrine of Massoumeh in the holy city of Qom, which is the second holiest
site in all of Iran. Now, this place is extremely important for the Islamic Republic of Iran. There's a lot of religious schools here, a lot of
religious seminaries, and of course a lot of the thinking, the religious thinking that underpins the actions of the Islamic Republic is developed
here.
[15:05:01]
All of that, even more important now that Iran is in this massive standoff with the Trump administration and with the Israelis. So, we went out and we
asked a couple of clerics here how they feel about that standoff and what could happen next.
(voice-over): "If Trump ever has goodwill, do not mess with countries and let people live their lives," he says. "This promise has been made by god,"
he says, "that if you believe in god, he is the one who guides your arrows to the hearts of the enemy."
And he says, "They think they're able to stop us from our chosen path through bombing, killing, and terror. This is why these terrors and wars
will only strengthen our faith instead of weakening us."
Now, there's one other reason why this part of Iran is so important. The province of Qom is also where the Fordow nuclear enrichment plant is
located, which of course, President Trump claims to have, as he put it, obliterated with those U.S. bunker buster bombs that were dropped a couple
of days ago. The Iranians acknowledged that their nuclear program has been damaged, but they say that it is still very much alive. And they also say
that they're not going to back down from what they call their right to nuclear enrichment. And they also say that they are going to stay defiant
in the face of pressure, both from the U.S. and from Israel.
Fred Pleitgen CNN, Qom, Iran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: A dire warning from the Palestinian Authority, meanwhile. It says settler rampages in the West Bank could push the region to explode. Israeli
opposition politician Yair says what happened last night in the town of Kafr Malik was, quote, a violent Jewish pogrom.
Settlers set fire to homes and vehicles. Palestinian authorities say three Palestinians were killed. Settler attacks were reported in other towns as
well.
Now, after declaring victory over Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there's now a window of opportunity to expand regional peace accords.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond is live for us in Tel Aviv.
So, this is talking about other Arab states in the region.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: It certainly seems that way. I mean, we've now heard both from the prime minister as well as President
Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, making clear that the goal now is indeed to expand those Abraham Accords. We've heard discussion, of course,
in the past about the possibility of Syria or Lebanon being the next countries to join those Abraham Accords. But of course, no concrete
specifics about how quickly or the -- you know, how realistic it is for that to move forward now.
But I think it's also clear that something much bigger is kind of coming into view now, Max. And that is to say that we are hearing the Israeli
prime minister talking about taking this momentum of the stunning military successes that Israel had in Iran, the subsequent cease fire there and
converting all of that into momentum to end the war in Gaza, perhaps, and get the hostages home, and perhaps even factor in that, you know, long
sought after goal of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
We're not hearing that explicitly from the prime minister at the moment, but there's a lot of speculation right now in Israeli media that some kind
of a grand plan, which we know President Trump would very much be interested in, could now potentially be in the offing. There's no question
that the prime minister now has a lot of political capital in the wake of those successes in Iran. The question is, what does he do with it?
And tonight, we understand that the prime minister is meeting with his security cabinet to discuss the next steps of Israel's war in Gaza and the
negotiations to reach some kind of a ceasefire and free the remaining hostages.
FOSTER: And take us through what's happening in the West Bank, because this has been bubbling for a while, hasn't it?
DIAMOND: No doubt about it. I mean, we have seen periods where there are escalations and intensification in the violence, settler violence against
Palestinians there and indeed over the last 24 to 48 hours, we are seeing one of those upticks, once again. Three Palestinians were killed just
yesterday in Kafr Malik in the West Bank, just northeast of the city of Ramallah. The day before, we also know that the Israeli military shot and
killed a 15-year-old boy. The military saying that they fired upon suspects who were approaching them with explosive devices.
But those settlers who rampaged through several towns in the West Bank yesterday, setting fires to homes and vehicles and in some cases,
Palestinians responding by throwing rocks to try and protect their homes in those areas. We know, of course, that this caps off what has been a very
deadly year and a half for Palestinians in the West Bank, with more than 900 killed either by Israeli troops or by Israeli settlers -- Max.
FOSTER: Okay, Jeremy, thank you so much for that update.
Ukraine's president has signed an agreement with the Council of Europe to create a special tribunal that would prosecute top Russian officials who've
led the war on Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the E.U. plans a key role in, or plays a key role in preventing Russia's war from spreading, and in
moving towards peace.
[15:10:03]
CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has more from London now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Zelenskyy is trying to draw the world's attention back to the conflict in Ukraine. Yesterday, he was at
NATO, where he was able to sit down with President Trump for a 50-minute meeting that he called substantial and long. President Trump said the
meeting was nice, which is, of course, a significant development given the relationship between these two world leaders breaking down earlier this
year.
President Trump also reiterated his support for Ukraine and said that he would consider giving the country an anti-aircraft missiles, Patriot
missiles, something that President Zelenskyy has, of course, been appealing for. But there is concern on the part of Ukraine that the country is
dropping in the headlines and dropping in the minds of these world leaders. Still, of course, the meeting with President Trump was a win.
President Zelenskyy will also address the European Council Summit. He will be giving a battlefield update. And on that, the Ukrainian military is
saying that it has been able to halt the advance of Russian forces on the Sumy region. Moscow's troops had for months been shelling the area, but
Ukrainian forces say they've now been able to stop that assault.
Still, there is an uptick of Russian aggression across Ukraine. Earlier this week, dozens of Ukrainian civilians were killed by Russian firepower.
So, President Zelenskyy again continues to appeal for that aid. And for that help.
Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Now, closing arguments underway for the prosecution in the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial. Earlier, the prosecutor touched on evidence for the
racketeering conspiracy charge. Then she lined up the case for the sex trafficking counts. The prosecution presented 34 witnesses over more than
six weeks. Sean Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Joining us from New York is CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister.
I mean, sum it up for us, Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: So the prosecution still is not done with their closing argument. They are right behind me
inside that courthouse, finishing. They are expected to finish today before the defense goes tomorrow. So, as you said, they are laying out all of
these charges and they're really trying to simplify the law and simplify the charges for the jury so that when they get into that deliberating room
that they can think of exactly what the prosecutor said today and line it up to the law.
Now, the prosecutor has spent a lot of time, she continues to keep going back and back to a similar statement, such as, you don't have to find him
guilty of all of these freak-offs just one. Again, trying to simplify the law to show the jury that even if you believe that these women consented on
certain times during certain freak-offs, that if you believe that there was just one time that Sean Combs used force or fraud or threats, then he will
be guilty of that charge.
Now, I want to read you some quotes for how the prosecutor started off her closing argument before she even got into the nitty gritty details. I'm
going to read you some rapid fire over here. She said, quote, the enterprises job was to protect its leader, not Kasie. Another quote, he
doesn't take no for an answer. Another quote, he used, quote, violence, power and fear to get what he wanted. And yet another quote, he used his
inner circle, his money, his influence to cover up his crimes.
So you can see what they are trying to do here is show this power dynamic. They are saying that Sean Combs was wealthy. He was famous. He was --
FOSTER: OK, Elizabeth, I'm sorry -- I'm just going to leave it there. We are going to come back to you for an update, but we want to cross over to
the Senate now because the Democrats are holding a briefing.
SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): -- from this briefing. But I just do not think the president was telling the truth when he said this program was
obliterated. There were certainly damaged under the program, but there is the significant -- there's still significant remaining capability for the
Iranians.
(CROSSTALK)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: DIA analysis is accurate?
MURPHY: Well, the DIA analysis is preliminary, but -- and again, I can't -- I can only speak to what's been reported openly. But if the Iranians still
retain significant enriched material and centrifuge capability, then you can only be setting back the program months not -- not years.
REPORTER: Did the administration have an analysis or an opinion of whether Iran is going to be more motivated or less motivated after this to build a
nuclear weapon?
MURPHY: I'm not going to talk about anything from the briefing. I mean, I walked -- I walk away from that briefing, still under the belief that that
we have not obliterated the program.
[15:15:00]
The president was deliberately misleading the public when he said the program was obliterated. It is -- it is certain that there is still
significant capability and significant equipment that that that remain.
(CROSSTALK)
REPORTER: Knowing what you know now, would you have authorized? Knowing what you know now, if the president had come to Congress to get approval to
authorize this mission, would he have had your vote?
MURPHY: No. Ultimately, the only way to truly constrain Iran's nuclear program is diplomacy. You cannot bomb knowledge out of existence, no matter
how many scientists you kill. There are still people in Iran who know how to work centrifuges.
And if they still have enriched uranium, and they still have the ability to use centrifuges, then you're not setting back the program by years. You're
setting back the program by months. The only path forward is diplomacy.
I just have not heard a realistic path from this administration about diplomacy. Of course, all of us would love a diplomatic agreement in which
Iran promises.
FOSTER: OK, just hearing that from Chris Murphy, the Senate Democrat, after a briefing on the intel around what was destroyed, actually in Iran by the
U.S. What we don't know is, was Iran's uranium stockpile actually destroyed? It's the big question there.
Joining me, John Miller, CNN's intelligence analyst.
Thank you so much for joining us, John.
But clear there from Chris Murphy that he believes the president deliberately misled the public when he said those facilities were
obliterated.
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, Max, one thing that I have learned and has been demonstrated over and over again
is when intel and politics cross paths, the place that it's never good for is intelligence.
You know, when I was with the director of national intelligence, our standards were objectivity, free from outside influence. It had to be based
on the information you had, independence from political considerations. The intelligence community had to avoid that.
Timeliness, you know, you had to be on top of your game and at least say what you knew, what you didn't know, and how you knew it or didn't as
quickly as possible for decision makers.
And of course, all source intelligence -- meaning you've got to use everything from every energy, from every different intel source imagery,
from satellites, sigint from intercepts, human intelligence from sources on the ground. And what you're seeing here, Max, in the United States over the
last few days is political spin, total obliteration.
Okay. How could anyone know that its a million miles underground? It could be fixed within a couple of months. How could anyone know that for sure?
The problem is, these assessments are actually still coming together, and intelligence professionals who hopefully are shielded from all this noise,
but that's not realistic, are working on the all source approach to say, what can we prove? What do we think with high confidence? What can we
assess with lower confidence? And how do we get that to decision makers?
Unfortunately, what were seeing is all of that's being pushed to the surface and debated as a matter of politics, which makes it harder to
understand.
FOSTER: Also being obliterated would suggest all of the uranium was there. But now we're hearing from government voices that, you know, they may have
moved it out. So, I mean, how easy would it be to move out? And how does that really leave the argument? John?
MILLER: Well, there's two specific arguments there when it comes to the base at Fordow, which we're looking at on the screen, which is this
underground base, which is a lot of trucks showed up there a couple of days before these hits and moved a lot of stuff out.
Now, analysts have been looking at that imagery, and according to the White House and according to the Defense Department, what they've determined is
those were construction workers who were brought in a couple of days before this bombing, anticipating that something like this could happen in the
next couple of weeks, and that they were putting concrete over the entrances, that a missile could be shot down and that that's what they were
there for. They weren't moving things in and they weren't moving things out, according to that analysis.
But again, for a proper intelligence assessment, you've got to widen the aperture to say, all right, well, does it make sense that all the highly
enriched uranium in the possession of the country, whose goal is completing this program, would have been kept in one place, the IAEA, the inspectors
from the International Atomic Energy Commission basically said that they believe there were three covert locations to which they did not have access
to inspect, where they wanted to know what was going on.
So, these are open questions, not up for debate, but from an intelligence standpoint, up for more study by the intelligence community. This is not
the kind of thing in a world where we want instant gratification, as General Clapper put it earlier today, where you're going to get it all
yesterday or today or tomorrow, this is going to be weeks of assessment to figure out exactly how much damage was done to that program and exactly how
long it would take if it could be put back together again.
And the answer could sway to either end. It will probably end up somewhere in the middle, but it's got to be worked through and the sound war between
Democrats and Republicans is not helping it.
FOSTER: I know it's really difficult for the intelligence people, isn't it, because they're always working in sort of gray areas and trying to build a
--
MILLER: Terrible for morale.
FOSTER: Yeah. In terms of, you know, this is the latest line we've got from Israel, at least from the defense minister saying it was clear from the
beginning that the strike would neutralize the surrounding infrastructure. It wouldn't eliminate the nuclear material itself, which obviously
contradicts with what the president said.
And actually, the Americans now, along with Israel, according to him, are asking Iran to hand over its enriched uranium. So, it clearly hasn't --
they clearly don't think it's been obliterated. So presumably, you don't think Iran's going to hand over anything that they do have?
MILLER: Well, that's also going to be a longer discussion. And it's all about leverage, Max. As you understand, even better than I do, it's going
to be what are Iran's options going to be and is one of the U.S. options or Israeli options just as likely to come back and say, well, all right, if we
didn't finish the place off, were going to have to make another run over it and do more damage.
That's the kind of thing where Iran has to figure out what is more important, the survival of this program or the survival of that particular
regime. And this is going to be something that will be leveraged in the negotiations that President Trump is trying to move forward with. It's
going to be reflected against what are Israeli interests there? And those and those discussions with the United States.
So, we still have a ways to go. I know that there was a tendency after this bombing mission to kind of flash the "mission accomplished", "the end" over
the screen. But we're in the middle.
FOSTER: Yeah. John, thank you so much.
And yeah, you're right, it's terrible for morale, isn't it? And these people are keeping us safe. So, thank you for joining us.
Coming up, new data showing a clearer picture of how the U.S. economy is doing in the face of President Trump's trade policy shifts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:25:44]
FOSTER: Fears about tariffs may have taken an even larger bite out of the U.S. economy this winter. New data by the Commerce Department shows the GDP
went down 0.5 percent from January through to March. And in a new sign of trouble in the job market, data shows unemployed Americans are having a
tougher time finding work.
CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich joins us from New York to explain why the markets are still going up on that news.
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is because this is backwards looking data. This is GDP quarter going from
January through March. So, it's sort of old news at this point. But it is very important for us to understand how consumers were behaving and how
people were reacting to tariffs and what was going on during that time.
So, we saw in the beginning of the year, we got an initial reading that said that GDP was expected to fall by 0.3 percent. Then we got a second
revision that said, okay, it's going to be down 0.2 percent. And then this final reading says that GDP contracted by 0.5 percent in the first quarter
of this year.
And why was that? Why did it drop even lower? Well, yes, consumer spending still increased, but it was weaker than expected. Yes, there was still
investment, but it was less than initially expected.
And in this final reading, we did see an increase in exports. But all of that does not offset the reduction. The drop in government spending and all
of the imports that companies were bringing into the country to try to beat tariffs. That was a big, big drag on GDP.
And as you mentioned in the labor market, we are getting some real time data. We're looking at unemployment claims, the number of people that filed
for unemployment last week actually fell. But when you dig into the data, we saw that the number of people on continuing unemployment.
So, one week or more actually rose by 37,000. Now the number stands at 1.97 million Americans on continuing unemployment. That is the highest level
since November of 2021. And what that signals, Max, is that companies are tightening their hiring, and that is making it more difficult for Americans
to find jobs right now.
FOSTER: Vanessa, it's fascinating. Thank you so much for that.
Now, peace through strength. Donald Trump and his top military advisers defend their strikes on Iran and say the Middle East is ready for a new
chapter. The story ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:31:30]
FOSTER: Let's check you in then on our top story again. U.S. military officials are touting the success of their strikes on Iran's nuclear
program, calling the operation historically successful. They also blasted the news media for reporting on an early intelligence report that said Iran
had only been set back by a few months.
President Donald Trump hailed the Pentagon briefing as, quote, one of the greatest, most professional news conferences I have ever seen. Just a short
time ago, the White House press secretary said that now the fighting with Iran has stopped. It's time for everyone in the Middle East to embrace
peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president used strength on Saturday night. The whole world saw that the United States is indeed the
most lethal fighting force in the world with those precision strikes on Saturday evening.
But the president wants peace. He always has. And right now, we're on a diplomatic path with Iran. The president and his team, namely special envoy
Witkoff, continue to be in communication with the Iranians and especially our Gulf and Arab partners in the region, to come to an agreement with
Iran.
As for our alliance with the state of Israel and that friendship and that partnership between the United States and the state of Israel, I would
argue it has never been stronger. And we see a new era in which perhaps some of these Gulf and Arab states can sign on to the Abraham Accords. That
was one of the presidents most signature accomplishments in his first term. And he'd like to see more of those countries sign on in this second term.
And so, we look forward to a sustaining a long and durable peace in the region, and the president wants to do that through a diplomatic solution.
But as he proved on Saturday night, he's not willing -- he's not afraid to use strength if we need to do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: CNN's Jeff Zeleny joins us from the White House.
They're really trying to push ahead on this, aren't they? Get on to the next stage of this story, which is looking to some sort of peace, but it's
not going away. But because we've just heard Democrats talking about how, you know, the public has been deceived by the president.
But the president effectively started all of this, didn't he, by saying it was obliterated? And if he hadn't said that, then, you know, we probably
wouldn't be having this debate about what intelligence we do have.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: There's no doubt, Max. I mean, Saturday evening, just a couple hours after the strike here in
the U.S. early, early Sunday morning in Iran. The president said that there was an obliteration of the Iranian nuclear program. We still do not know if
that is true.
So, we have to sort of separate these discussions at the White House is trying to conflate. There's been no criticism. Obviously, of the military
strike in terms of just the methods and the strategy of the pilots flying from the middle of the United States and Missouri under dark of night and
hitting their targets and coming back without ever being fired upon or knowing about, of course, that is a successful military mission in its own
right.
The questions here, the president trying to use the media and there are questions about the Iranian nuclear program as a foil here. So, I think we
should set aside all of that. The bottom line is that you wonder why the United States, why the government, why the president would not want to know
about where the enriched uranium is? Would not want to know about the actual state of the Iranian nuclear program, rather than simply saying its
obliterated and moving on, because going forward here, that is a central question.
But this administration clearly the president is obviously so torn between his base that did not want any intervention in the Middle East at all. He
wants to put a bow on this and move on to the next topic.
[15:35:02]
But the history would suggest in the region, it's not quite that simple. The rest of it is just sort of external chatter. I think that we've come to
see as just a regular feature of this administration.
FOSTER: Okay, stand by a few words, Jeff, because we want to cross over to the Senate where Tim Warner is actually speaking too early.
SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): I mean, clearly, the president making a comment on Saturday night before any assessment of total obliteration. Listen, I hope
that is the final assessment. But if not, does that end up providing a false sense of comfort to the American people or for that matter, the
world? We -- I was glad to hear members down there stand up for the strength and integrity of our intelligence community, how good they are.
I hope that would be reflected more often by this administration and not being willing to blow off or ignore the conclusions of the intelligence
community. That is absolutely critical. We do that at our peril.
But to get to the point where Iran does not have the ability to enrich uranium, that could possibly use for military purposes, you're going to
need diplomacy to work. You're going to need inspectors on the ground. That is clear. And again, this is long before this brief that some of the
enriched uranium was never going to be taken out by a bunker buster bomb.
So, some of that obviously remains in Iran. So, we've got to get to that diplomacy point. We also need to get the full assessment of the level of
damage done. And boy, oh boy, I sure hope that some of the extraordinarily strong words that were said about the integrity and quality of our
intelligence community, that that message will resound in the White House and elsewhere as well.
REPORTER: Do you think that the director of national intelligence should be part of that final absence? And what do you make of her absence today?
WARNER: I make no judgment. I obviously have grave concerns about the DNI.
FOSTER: So, we've got there, Mark Warner. He's the ranking member of the intelligence committee. So, a big voice there, Jeff.
We've also just had this from Donald Trump posted on Truth Social. The Democrats are the ones who leaked the information on that perfect flight,
as he calls it, to the nuclear sites in Iran. What's Donald Trump suggesting here? Because as I understood it, we got it from that story,
from sources in intelligence?
ZELENY: Look, that is just one more example, the latest example of the deflection. No one is talking about the flights. The question at hand is
that Senator Warner was talking about and many Republicans on capitol hill have also questioned what is the state of the Iranian nuclear program. No
one is talking about the flights, and it's unclear where the information came from.
The president has repeatedly called for Democrats and Democratic members of Congress and others to be prosecuted. The White House has not put forth any
information that it that that is the case. But the White House did say that the FBI is investigating this leak operation.
But at the same time, they have effectively acknowledged this early assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency that early reports have
suggest that they may have upset the Iranian nuclear program just back by a couple of months, not more than that. So, again, more intelligence
assessments will come once there's a closer inspection on the ground.
But the White House is not interested in waiting for any of that. They're simply trying to cast some blame here and move on to other matters,
including a large domestic challenge that's facing this administration as well. In the name of his signature tax and spending bill, which is, quite
frankly, also a bit on life support at the moment.
FOSTER: Okay, lots to keep across. Thanks so much, Jeff.
Now, go home. That's the message many Venetians are sending to the celebrities in town for the wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren
Sanchez. Details of this less than warm welcome coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:42:17]
FOSTER: Celebrity guests are pouring into Venice for the wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancee, Lauren Sanchez. Among those spotted
include Oprah Winfrey, the Kardashians, Ivanka Trump, Bill Gates.
But as CNN's Melissa Bell explains, not everyone in Venice is celebrating.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Italy's floating City of Love, flooded with A-list celebrities, from Ivanka Trump
to Oprah Winfrey and Kim Kardashian, they're all descending on a sweltering Venice for the multi-million-dollar wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos
and former news anchor Lauren Sanchez. Other big names include Tom Brady, Orlando Bloom and Mick Jagger.
Details of the nuptials are shrouded in secrecy, but we believe that 30 of the city's elite water taxis have been booked for the occasion, which is
unfolding from Friday through Saturday, as well as every yacht port. Several accommodation venues have also been reserved for the 200 or so
guests, including five venetian luxury hotels and the Madonna dell'Orto church, where "Reuters" reports the first nights open air festivities are
taking place on Thursday.
Bezos's $500 million superyacht Koru was expected to be one of the main wedding locations, but it's just too big to be allowed anywhere near the
city's most scenic waterways and will be anchored in the Venice lagoon instead.
Some local officials in Venice are taking it all in their stride.
LUIGI BRUGNARO, MAYOR OF VENICE: We're used to having weddings and celebrations. We had the G7 last year. The Holy Father came. This is a city
that was born to do diplomacy and trade. This is the history of Venice, the meeting of people and cultures.
BELL: But not everyone is celebrating. Activists from Greenpeace rolled out a massive banner in San Marcos Square on Monday, criticizing the lavish
extravaganza.
Tommaso Cacciari leads the "No space for Bezos" protest group.
TOMMASO CACCIARI, "NO SPACE FOR BEZOS" ORGANIZER: When you see Venice not as a city anymore, but as a big theme park, a big kind of private dancehall
where you can just hire parts of it or like in this case, all of it, is exactly the problem. The message of this wedding party is that "I am
superrich, and I can buy all Venice".
BELL: Altogether, the festivities are expected to cost somewhere between $46 million and $55 million. That's according to the president of Venice's
local government.
In the last few days, the couple have reportedly donated to several charitable foundations here in Venice devoted to architectural and cultural
preservation. And according to a portion of the wedding invitation that was broadcast by ABC's "Good Morning America," they've suggested that guests
not bring gifts, saying rather that donations will be made to these causes on their behalf.
[15:45:12]
For now, all eyes are on the tech billionaire and his bride, and whether or not they'll be able to tie the knot in relative peace.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Venice.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Venice is a city already struggling with overtourism and environmental issues. Residents fear high profile events like this wedding
will only contribute to the problem. About 30 million people visit Venice every year. This makes living for the 50,000 residents increasingly
difficult, from housing availability to a lack of shops for locals. Their view being blocked in, Bonnie, as well by that massive yacht.
What we want to know is, are protesters right to be targeting Jeff Bezos's wedding?
Joining me is Bonnie Greer.
Would you be complaining if you were invited? I'm surprised you weren't.
BONNIE GREER, BROADCASTER & PLAYWRIGHT: Well, I wouldn't go anyway. It's too vulgar.
FOSTER: Vulgar?
GREER: Nevertheless.
FOSTER: You haven't seen inside.
GREER: Nevertheless.
FOSTER: It could be very classy.
GREER: Well, I doubt it.
The Venetians are trying to save their city. And, you know, I mean, I've been to Venice a lot of times. I shouldn't be there myself. But Venice
exists on a lagoon, on stilts, and they're trying very hard to keep the city stable. Also, there are people who live in Venice, actually live
there.
So, the sort of overcrowding of tourism raises, rents, raises prices. It's all horrible for them. I mean, I live in a high tourist area in London, and
I knew that it was, anyway, when we moved in.
But sometimes I think tourists don't understand that actually people live in these areas. We have lives there. It's not nice to like be waking at
4:50 in the morning by someone doing their YouTube video under your window, you know?
So, it's -- I think there's a movement now coming up in tourist areas like mine and like Venice, where people are saying, you know, everybody --
FOSTER: You're not saying no tourism?
GREER: No, not at all. But just remember, there are people living here. Yes, these buildings have people in them.
FOSTER: Can I -- a counterargument in Jeff Bezos defense is they've done everything they could to try to keep this wedding private. So, it's not as
if they tried to make a big deal out of it so that everyone knew they were having it there, so everyone would try and have.
GREER: You're telling me this with a straight face? I mean, they bring this super yacht up the lagoon, right? So that's like as private as you can get.
It's like a pirate ship.
FOSTER: They closed down the canal.
GREER: Exactly. They closed the canal down. It's the only way you can get in.
FOSTER: Yeah.
GREER: They're the two. He's the --
FOSTER: They want the attention.
GREER: Of course, they do. It's Venice. It's on -- he's one of the richest people in the world. He should have just come -- come to Venice, get
married at the mayor's office or whatever, and get the heck out. But no, you can't do.
FOSTER: But you're reading all the stuff about it, I'm sure. Aren't you?
GREER: No.
FOSTER: Are you interested in the outfits and the people?
GREER: No, not at all. Lauren Sanchez.
FOSTER: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
GREER: Not at all. You asked me honestly. No. But I think people might be, because they just might be interested.
FOSTER: Is that because there's so much misery in the world and it's actually quite a fun thing to watch, to see. You've got Oprah Winfrey in
Venice. That's a cool picture.
GREER: Well, but, you know, in a way, at the end of the day, I think especially young people that I look at online, I mean, it's just like, so
what?
Look, they are very rich people in a city that's saying, please don't come in here with all of your yachts and la, la, la, we're trying to save the
city from sinking, but they're coming anyway. Why are you getting married in Venice? You're Americans.
FOSTER: Yes. There's a bit of a debate about -- I mean, we're not U.S. legal experts, but lots of talk about the fact that they would actually,
you know, have to sign the document on the marriage in America rather than.
GREER: They would know that. I would think they would know that. Yeah, I think they would know that this is all theater. This is --
FOSTER: Kim Kardashian. This is -- I mean, don't pretend you're not looking and interested.
GREER: I'm not actually, I know Venice is wonderful without them.
FOSTER: I want to ask you something else.
GREER: Yes, sir.
FOSTER: Because there's an icon of this country separate to you called Anna Wintour.
GREER: Dame Anna Wintour.
FOSTER: Who is stepping down from her role at "Vogue". And, you know, she's a very defining figure, isn't she? But just put her place in fashion
history for us.
GREER: Dame Anna Wintour is the last of a breed. When she and I were about the same age, when she and I were little girls, there were voices that
said, this is fashion. Thats fashion, this is fashion. And Dame Anna is the last of those people who can say that. Now you've got influencers, you've
got all this other thing.
FOSTER: Who come and go.
GREER: Who come and go, and there isn't any voice anymore that tells you somethings fashionable. And I'm not saying there should be, but there just
isn't. And she is the last of that.
FOSTER: There is an argument to say that she will now loosen up the system, because if she if these designers didn't get her approval, you know, they
didn't sell and she had too much of a grip over the industry.
GREER: Well, maybe she found out that it didn't matter anymore what she said. I mean, that's the other part of it.
FOSTER: Yeah.
GREER: And she's still able and capable and brilliant enough to go on to do other things and let the industry do what its evolving into, which,
whatever that is.
[15:50:07]
FOSTER: Who replaces her? I don't mean necessarily in that role, but as the, you know, the most influential person in the industry.
GREER: Max, I think those days are over. I think those days are over. Yeah. Well, it's nice to see someone who can sort of make pronouncements is kind
of an imperial thing, but I think those days are over. We're on to something else now.
FOSTER: Okay. Bonnie, as ever, thank you for coming in.
Now, one place not currently struggling with overtourism is North Korea. But that could soon change. The country is celebrating the opening of a
massive new beach resort, according to state media. Bonnie's trying to get her ticket, but they're only allowing Russians in at the moment.
I'm sorry, Bonnie. You're not allowed.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un cut a ceremonial red ribbon at the grand opening of the resort in the Wonsan tourist zone in the country's east
coast. The resort reportedly includes water parks, hotels, accommodation for 20,000 guests. They could even host your wedding.
GREER: Or even Lauren and Bezos --
FOSTER: Next time -- well, what am I saying? What am I saying?
GREER: That I'd love to see that.
FOSTER: The resort is being described as a, quote, national treasure level tourism city.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): North Korea's Kim Jong Un is unveiling a new beach resort for up to 20,000 people. But who is going to
visit?
You can see, Kim here cutting the ribbon himself, fireworks, high rise hotels, a giant seaside celebration. This is a huge contrast to the
military parades and reports of human rights abuses made by North Korean defectors and international human rights groups for decades.
So, let's talk about the larger picture of what's going on here.
This could be one of the most secretive countries on earth making a big foray into tourism. In fact, Kim has indicated that himself in this grand
opening speech, as far as we know, beginning July 1, this is only open to North Koreans.
But Russia's Ambassador was at the ceremony, and Russian tourists were the first international visitors allowed into North Korea after COVID.
So, we're watching to see, especially as train service between Moscow and Pyongyang just started again.
Could the next stop on a Russia to North Korean itinerary be this beach?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: That's where you're -- Richard just joined me. It's the next world of wonder, Richard.
We'll be back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:55:05]
FOSTER: Finally, tonight. This is not what you want to see overhead, really, is it, when you're driving. Take a look.
It is a fireball lighting up the sky over the southeast U.S. earlier this afternoon. The American meteor society says they have received numerous
reports. They say this sort of thing is usually tied to meteorites, but not always. This dash cam video captures the moment the driver told CNN she
called her husband to check if their house was still standing. It was that close.
Authorities say there was no unusual aircraft activity in the area and lower level meteor shower is ongoing this week, so it does seem the most
likely option.
I'm Max Foster. That is WHAT WE KNOW.
Richard's up next with "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS".
END
TO ORDER VIDEOTAPES AND TRANSCRIPTS OF CNN INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS