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What We Know with Max Foster

Trump: U.S. May Not Be Wlling Or Able To Reach Deal With Iran; U.S. And Pakistan Confirm Indirect U.S. Talks With Iran; Death Toll Grows As Israel And Hezbollah Exchange Fire; U.S. Judge Won't Dismiss Case Against Ousted Venezuelan Leader; New IOC Policy Bans Transgender Women Athletes From Olympics; Savannah Guthrie Speaks Out About Her Missing Mother. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired March 26, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:25]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: President Trump says he doesn't care about a deal with Iran.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

As Iran prepares for another possible attack by the U.S. military, President Trump says the White House may not be willing or able to reach a

deal to end the war.

But during a cabinet meeting at the White House today, the president was noncommittal when asked if he would hold Tehran to a Friday deadline that

he's set to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, whilst also suggesting that taking over Iran's oil supply was an option after the Pentagon's deployment of

thousands of marines and sailors to the region.

President Trump says the United States is fully prepared to move forward militarily. He pushed back on reports that he was desperate to secure an

agreement with Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm the opposite of desperate. I don't care. I want to know. In fact, we have other targets we

want to hit before we leave. We're hitting them on a daily basis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff says Iran has now received the 15-point U.S. proposal -- peace proposal thanks to Pakistan. Witkoff

confirmed today that Pakistan is acting as an intermediary during ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran, which he says have resulted in strong

and positive messaging.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE WITKOFF, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY: I can say this: we will see where things lead and if we can convince Iran that this is the inflection point

with no good alternatives for them other than more death and destruction, we have strong signs that this is a possibility. And if a deal happens, it

will be great for the country of Iran, for the entire region and the world at large.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: CNN national security correspondent Natasha Bertrand joins us now.

A lot of people putting all of that together, Natasha, suggesting that there will be an attack of some sort this weekend when the market shut

involving ground troops.

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Look, it remains completely unclear, but the U.S. has deployed thousands of marines

and additional U.S. soldiers to the region to be prepared for such an operation. If President Trump decides that one is going to go forward, the

question is, what would that even look like and what are the risks involved?

We're told that it would be extremely risky, extremely dangerous for U.S. troops to go into either Kharg Island, which is that island in the Persian

Gulf. That is such a crucial economic lifeline for the Iranians, accounts for about 90 percent of their crude exports, something that the president

has talked about doing, taking over that island, if necessary, to try to squeeze Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Or the other option, potentially, is sending in ground troops, potentially the 82nd Airborne division into Iran proper, along with special operations

forces, to try to obtain that highly enriched uranium stockpile that Iran still has and that it would need to create a nuclear weapon. So, these are

two highly risky options. Military experts say they would be very dangerous. They would put troops in harm's way.

Iran, for example, has already begun building up its defenses on Kharg Island, including moving additional air defenses there, military personnel,

booby trapping the island. So, the president is well aware of the risks, we're told. And the administration right now is weighing whether or not

these kinds of operations would actually be worth it.

Now, at the same time, Steve Witkoff, who is the president's special envoy for the region, he has said that negotiations are ongoing. The president,

though, said that he really doesn't care if Iran makes a deal or not.

So, the question now becomes, how is the nuclear program going to be dismantled? How are the Iranian nuclear ambitions actually going to be

defeated? As the president has said repeatedly, is his main goal here? Is it going to be through diplomacy or is it going to be through a very risky

ground operation? That is something that remains to be seen, Max.

FOSTER: Okay, Natasha, we'll wait and see.

Well, Pakistan also confirming it is acting as an intermediary then between the U.S. and Iran. It says Turkey and Egypt, amongst others, are supporting

the diplomatic efforts. The Trump administration is trying to arrange a meeting in Pakistan this weekend.

According to sources, Ivan Watson now explains why it could be an ideal venue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Pakistan has a border, shares a border with Iran and has relatively friendly relations

with Iran, as well as with the Trump administration. So, Pakistan has delivered from Washington a 15-point list of expectations that the Trump

administration would want for some kind of a deal with Iran, as this war continues to rage in its 27th day, with reports of Israel claiming to have

carried out a fresh wave of bombing attacks on targets in Iran, with reports of explosions around several Gulf countries from presumably what

are incoming Iranian ballistic missiles and drones that may or may not have been intercepted.

[15:05:18]

So, the fighting very much continues. But there's this flurry of mediation efforts going on at the same time where not only has Pakistan delivered

this these kind of, Trump administration points of discussion, but also two senior U.S. Trump administration officials saying that there could be talks

here in Pakistan as early as this weekend, with the possibility that the U.S. vice president, J.D. Vance, could attend those discussions.

Iranian officials saying they do not want to talk to the previous American interlocutors. That's President Trump's son in law, Jared Kushner, and

Steve Witkoff, the real estate magnate who were involved in negotiations with Iran a month ago, two days before the U.S. and Israel launched their

surprise bombing campaign of Iran.

Now, the Iranian government has sent some very mixed signals. It does say that it is receiving some messages in exchanges of messages with friendly

countries like Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Oman, all involved in mediation efforts between Tehran and Washington. But also take a listen to what the

Iranian foreign minister just had to say.

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): I will explain that there is no negotiations, but the fact that the enemy who

sought our unconditional surrender now talks about negotiations, requests, talks and mobilizes its highest officials to negotiate with the Islamic

Republic. This means accepting defeat. So far, the people of Iran, our armed forces and all segments of the nation are truly the winners.

WATSON: Now, Iran's state funded press TV has published five conditions from Iran for any possible deal, and they would include a complete halt to

aggression and assassinations. The establishment of concrete mechanisms to ensure the war on Iran does not resume, a guaranteed and clearly defined

payment of war reparations and damages, and end to military operations across all fronts and for all Iranian proxies in the region. That would

presumably include Hezbollah, the militia in Lebanon, and, quote, a guarantee that Iran can exercise sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

And that's really important because before this war, the sticking points were about Iran's nuclear program, its ballistic missile program. Since the

bombing campaign of Iran began, Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz and has now imposed conditions for any ships to go through, and made

it clear that it is willing to incur tremendous costs on the global economy, with soaring energy prices due to this chokehold, as -- while the

U.S. and Israel continue to pound and bomb Iranian targets across its country.

So that is the leverage that Iran is imposing, leverage that did not exist before Israel and the U.S. began their joint bombing campaign. Very unclear

whether or not these negotiations will, in fact, move forward, but a sign of the increased stakes since the bombing campaign began, you know, now

that were in the fourth week of this war.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Ivan Watson there for us.

Now, Israel's defense minister says the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy was killed in an IDF operation. Alireza

Tangsiri, has played a key role in implementing Iran's near-total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian authorities have not commented on the

reports of his death.

While the death toll is growing on both sides of the border between Israel and Lebanon, meanwhile, as the IDF and Hezbollah exchange fire. In northern

Israel, emergency services say a man was killed in a Hezbollah rocket attack. Lebanese authorities, meanwhile, say at least five people were

killed today in Israeli airstrikes. The IDF is also carrying out what it calls targeted ground operations, adding that a third Israeli soldier was

killed in combat in southern Lebanon.

Well, for rescuers in Lebanon, a rushing to help the wounded can mean risking your very life. Lebanon's health ministry says at least 42

paramedics have been killed in Israeli strikes since the war began.

Nick Paton Walsh visited the town of Nabatieh, where two rescuers lost their lives just days ago.

(BEGIN VDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Shaken awake all night by blasts, the days aren't much better.

WALSH: A town like here, Nabatieh kind of caught in limbo. A lot of the civilian population have left. You can see why, and still it's something of

a hub for rescuers. The injured from all around brought here as the front lines get closer and closer.

WALSH (voice-over): A drone strike -- visible from the hospital on the hill. But the rush to help here comes with a huge caveat.

Medics killed across the country, two just two days ago here by an apparent Israeli strike mean they have to consider their, not just the victim's

safety, too.

WALSH: It's a tough call for the medics when they respond after the recent deaths, but still heading in fast and still over there, too, despite the

rain, some shelling picking up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (translated): Artillery, that was artillery.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (translated): They may have hit it from afar because the sound was long.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (translated): It had a long sound, no, it's not a drone.

WALSH (voice-over): Three units head down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (translated): Full of risk.

WALSH (voice-over): Nobody left to rescue here, though. Two men killed and stuck beneath the rubble.

ALI HARIRI, MEDIC IN NABATIEH: About two homes are fully damaged. Two houses.

WALSH (voice-over): Zeina (ph) lives with her father, doctor in the hospital, has her toy slime for fun but knows what she fears.

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL (translated): The darkness.

WALSH (voice-over): That the elderly ferried out.

HARIRI: There are some people here are trying to live, and they didn't find any shelter to do. The drones are flying over us, but we don't have

any options. We have to go. Yeah.

WALSH: It must be harder after the loss of your friend's son two days ago.

HARIRI: Very hard. But we don't have choices. We don't have choices.

WALSH (voice-over): His friend, this rescuer here on Tuesday lost his son. One of two medics killed by an Israeli strike on a motorbike. Israel hasn't

responded to our request for comment. They buried Jude Suleiman (ph), aged 16, on Wednesday, fearing it won't be the last.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Nabatiyeh, Lebanon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: A U.S. federal judge says he will not dismiss the case against Venezuela's ousted president and his wife. Nicolas Maduro's attorneys had

argued the U.S. government is interfering in the case by not allowing Venezuela to pay for legal fees. Prosecutors say Maduro and his wife can

cover costs with their own money. Maduro has pleaded not guilty to charges related to drug trafficking, money laundering and corruption, and U.S.

President Donald Trump today said other cases are going to be brought against him.

Kara Scannell is in New York.

How's the case shaping up then, Kara?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Max, these are interesting arguments today. The judge seemed receptive to Maduro lawyer's argument

that the government of Venezuela should be able to pay his legal fees. He said the government is willing to do it and that that should be permitted.

The prosecution is opposing this. They say it is clear in the law that the sanctioned state of Venezuela should not be able to pay the legal fees of

the Maduros, because Maduro and his wife are charged in this case, because they are also both sanctioned by U.S. laws. They say that they could get

court appointed attorneys in the U.S. to cover that.

But the judge said that this case is beyond normal, beyond the normal work of a court appointed attorney, that they would need to do work in the

country of Venezuela to see evidence there, to talk to witnesses there. He also said that the reason for the sanctions that the that the Maduros are a

national security threat. He said it didn't seem to be the case anymore. He also said that it's the person's right to defend themselves is paramount.

And so, he seems to be looking for a way to try to advance the funds from Venezuela to the Maduros. The prosecutor said Maduros has been using the

country as a slush fund. They have been plundering money from them and that shouldn't be allowed.

So, the judge, thinking out loud in the courtroom, said that he was exploring whether he could order the U.S. government to issue a license, to

enable Venezuela to pay for Maduro's legal fees. The prosecutor pushing back, saying that the only way that could happen is if the Maduro filed a

lawsuit. But it did seem like he was also open to perhaps going back to other avenues in the U.S. government to see if that's something that they

would consider.

So, the judge said he was not going to dismiss the case at this point. He said if he did issue an order telling the U.S. government to issue this

license so Venezuela could pay the legal fees, and they didn't do it, then he would revisit arguments over whether to throw out the case. The judge

said he would issue his decision soon. It's unclear what timeline that is.

There is no next hearing scheduled in this case. So, a lot on the line to see whether the judge or how the judge grapples with this and gets to the

conclusion he wants to get to, or if the U.S. government in the interim agrees to issue a license to allow Venezuela to pay the legal fees of

Maduro.

[15:15:09]

He and his wife, both in court today, both wearing headphones so they could hear the translation of the hearing, and neither of them spoke during the

hearing. And they, of course, pleaded not guilty to the charges -- Max.

FOSTER: Okay, Kara, thank you so much for that update from New York.

Well, still ahead, a big policy decision for the next Olympics. We'll tell you what the IOC has ruled for the women competitors.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: The International Olympic Committee says transgender athletes will not be eligible to participate in women's events at the Olympics. The IOC

says the organization wants to have a clear eligibility policy moving forward. It'll start with the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Now, the policy isn't retroactive and does not apply to grassroots or recreational sports programs.

"WORLD SPORT's" Patrick Snell joins me now.

Still, though, such a notable move.

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah, this is highly significant, Max. You know, we've been tracking this for quite some time now. Certainly, one of

the most fraught and indeed, dare I say it, politicized matters in sports in recent times. But this is a big and significant update.

And as you just said, Max, this is important to note. The ruling will take effect from the 2028 summer games in Los Angeles, in southern California,

and onwards after that.

So, what does this latest IOC ruling, what does it actually mean? Well, it means that starting from this very day, all female athletes will be now

required to undergo a once in a lifetime blood or cheek swab test for something called the SRY gene. That's a gene that can detect the presence

of a Y or male chromosome, which causes male characteristics to develop.

But in some cases, and again, extremely important to underline this, naturally occurring variations in the gene can lead to its presence in

small proportion of women who possess many potential biological variations.

[15:20:04]

These are known as differences of sex development, or DSD. The test will effectively lead to a blanket ban on all. Now, transgender and DSD

athletes' ability to compete at the Olympics. Although the IOC. The committee saying that there will be a chance for DSD athletes to prove they

have not benefited from any male biological advantage through further advanced medical testing.

I do want to hear now from the IOC's president, Kirsty Coventry, who spoke earlier on this day. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIRSTY COVENTRY, IOC PRESIDENT: The scientific evidence is very clear. Male chromosomes give performance advantages in sports that rely on

strength, power or endurance. At the Olympic games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So it's

absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category.

In addition, in some sports, it would simply not be safe. Every athlete must be treated with dignity and respect, and athletes will only need to be

screened once in their lifetime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: The IOC's president speaking earlier today. Now, the timing of this is very, very important. It comes following intense gender scrutiny of

Algeria's Olympic gold medal winning boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting at the Paris Games and followed also a big push. I mentioned the

word politicized earlier by American President Donald Trump that led to the U.S. Olympic Committee. This was actually last year to effectively ban

transgender women from competing in female sports.

Now, it's going to take -- there's plenty, plenty to, you know, stay across here, Max, because this is actually going to take time to implement the

likely will be further roadblocks along the way as genetic sex testing -- sex testing is currently illegal in a whole number of countries. We will be

following it all every step of the way, but certainly a significant day to reflect upon, Max, on so many levels, as I mentioned off the top.

Back to you.

FOSTER: Appreciate it. Patrick, thank you so much for joining us with that.

Now, the NBC anchor, Savannah Guthrie, has sat down for her first interview since her mother, Nancy, went missing. Eighty-four-year-old Nancy Guthrie

was reported missing from her Tucson, Arizona, home nearly two months ago. Despite a U.S. wide search, she still hasn't been found.

Guthrie spoke to NBC colleague and friend Hoda Kotb about what the whole ordeal has been like.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC ANCHOR: My siblings are so amazing. My brother, you know, he spent his career in the military and worked in intelligence and

fighter pilot, and is brilliant and he saw very clearly right away what this was.

And even on the phone when I called him, he knew. He knew. And he said, I think she's been kidnapped for ransom. And I said, what? Why? What?

And then, I mean, it sounds so like, how dumb could I be? But I just -- I didn't want to believe. I just said, do you think because of me?

And he said, I'm sorry, sweetie, but yeah, maybe. But I knew that.

HODA KOTB, NBC ANCHOR: You did?

GUTHRIE: I hope not. I mean, we still don't know. Honestly, we don't know anything. We don't know anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, still to come, a small island with big value. We take a deep dive into Iran's Kharg Island and explain why the U.S. could be eyeing a

risky military operation there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: We want to take a moment now to dig a bit deeper into what could be a major flashpoint in the Iran war. Kharg Island in the northern part of

the Persian Gulf is a significant driver of Iran's economy. Ninety percent of the oil exported by Iran passes through Kharg. Now, sources tell CNN

that Iran is laying traps and moving military personnel to the island in anticipation of a possible U.S. invasion.

The theory goes that the U.S. would try to take Kharg Island as a way of pressuring Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though military analysts

warn an invasion of Kharg could result in significant U.S. casualties. So, what we want to know is, does Kharg island hold the key to the war in Iran?

Joining us now is Brynn Tannehill, a senior defense analyst, a defense analyst, and a former U.S. Navy pilot as well. Thank you so much for

joining us. I guess it's seen as an easier target at least because it's an island. It can be contained and the marines might be able to get on it

quite simply.

BRYNN TANNEHILL, FORMER U.S. NAVY PILOT: So Kharg Island is relatively small. The population is relatively low compared to some of the other

potential targets, such as Qeshm island in the Strait of Hormuz. And it can be isolated. It's also relatively close to Kuwait. And when I say

relatively, I mean 100 miles away rather than several hundred. However, any attempt at taking the island would likely require doing it by air rather

than by sea, because the U.S. still does not appear to be prepared to send navy ships through the strait.

FOSTER: Why do you think the U.S. is sending all these marines over then?

TANNEHILL: I think it's to take at least one of the islands or potential targets. "Axios" mentioned several other targets in the region, including

some islands that are, that are held or jointly claimed by the UAE and Iran, but Kharg Island makes the most immediate sense based off of its

size, based off of how small it is, based off of the fact that if that happens, Iranian oil flow will be disrupted.

And one of the biggest problems that the U.S. has had so far, during this conflict, is that Iran has continued to reap the windfalls of continued oil

production.

FOSTER: But you say it wouldn't be a ground operation, it would be an air operation. But that would I mean, how would that work? That would be to

destroy it, because I surely Donald Trump realizes --

TANNEHILL: No, it would be an operation by inserting marines with MV-22s rather than landing craft.

[15:30:00]

FOSTER: Oh, I see.

TANNEHILL: We've also seen mobilization of elements of the 82nd Airborne, and they would potentially be used to secure the runway on Kharg Island,

which is about 5,900 feet long and could potentially be used to land more troops and to continue the inflow of assets to hold the island.

FOSTER: Yeah, because the assumption is they want to secure the island rather than destroy it, because that would have the massive impact on oil

prices again.

TANNEHILL: Of course.

FOSTER: How many troops would they need then or personnel?

TANNEHILL: So, I've seen estimates between 2,500 to 5,000 to secure the island. There are approximately 2,500 marines inbound. And there's,

supposedly upwards of a thousand members of the 82nd Airborne ingressing into theater at this time, from what we can tell from open source

intelligence and from what the Pentagon has told us about the 82nd being on the move.

FOSTER: This is, you know, absolutely vital element of Iran's economy. You can assume they've always had it secure. But certainly, with all of this

talk this week, they've had all week to prepare for a possible invasion. You know, what sort of defense could they put on, do you think? And how

would you prepare for that?

TANNEHILL: So, we've seen things like mining. We've seen -- we've seen moving troops. They're setting up hardened emplacements.

I would also expect Iran to start looking for ways to move oil out of -- out of basically bypass, Kharg Island. They have other facilities that are

closer to strait that they can use. They have less capacity. So over time, I expect Iran to try and lessen the strategic value of the island.

So, the other thing is, is that long term, Iran has the potential to use drones like we've seen, Russia and Ukraine using to strike U.S. troops,

that are on Kharg Island. And what like what we've seen with Russia using the Lancet to great effect in Ukraine has developed their own analog to it.

And those are the kinds of, long range loitering munitions that I would expect to be used extensively against U.S. troops on the island.

FOSTER: What sort of casualties would you sort of calculate from this? Because thankfully there haven't been a huge number of casualties compared

to other wars, U.S. casualties. But this is the point at which American sentiment towards this war could change if we start hearing about mass

casualties. And that is a risk here, isn't it?

TANNEHILL: It is. They -- they can still strike at facilities using things like Shahed drones to try and start oil fires, which the U.S. would not be

particularly well-prepared to deal with. It's unknown how many Lancet type or style loitering munitions Iran has, how effective they are, how

resistant to jamming they are.

So, it could be anywhere between not very many to the U.S. being completely unprepared for this, because things that have to do with electronic jamming

and countermeasures generally tend to be highly classified, especially when you're talking about specific systems

FOSTER: We'll wait and see what happens or whether this is all part of a negotiation tactic. We're not entirely clear quite yet, but, Brynn

Tannehill, thank you for giving us the military perspective on that.

Now, U.S. President Donald Trump is once again criticizing NATO countries as falling short in the war with Iran. In a social media post, the

president slammed NATO for doing, quote, "absolutely nothing to help". Meanwhile, America's top diplomat, Marco Rubio, is en route to a meeting of

the G7 foreign ministers hosted by France as the bloc grapples with the repercussions of the Iran war.

The U.S. and Israel launched their military action without the support of European allies. But the German foreign minister says NATO countries are

working to find common ground with the U.S. on the war against Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHANN WADEPHUL, GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER: So for us, of course, it is now important, together with our closest allies within NATO, particularly with

the United States, to develop a common position. There is also consensus on this within the E3 group, and that is why it is good and important and

right that Marco Rubio is coming here and that we can speak with him tomorrow. I do not want to preempt these talks, but my expectation and I am

quite confident on this, is that we will be able to define a common position.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, it's the final moments of trade on Wall Street, and stocks are struggling as we approach the closing bell. The Dow's faltered after an

early morning rally and is now off by triple digits.

This is our Business Breakout.

So, Europe and the U.K. will see slower growth this year and next year because of the war in Iran. That is the forecast from the Organization for

Economic Cooperation and Development. The OECD is predicting an energy shock from the war.

[15:35:01]

It now expects inflation in the countries it covers to average at 4 percent this year, up from less than 3 percent in its last forecast.

Now, South Korea says it has been given permission to import Russian oil after the United States relaxed some sanctions against Moscow, the rules

were eased to try to keep global oil prices lower. South Korea says it still has concerns about some specific details of the sanctions.

And India is urging people to rely less on certain kinds of gas. Many households rely on cylinders of liquefied petroleum gas as their main

cooking fuel. Much of that is imported from the Middle East. India's government has ordered people in some areas to switch to piped gas networks

within the next three months.

The Philippines has declared a state of emergency in response to energy shortages caused by the war, the first country to do so. The Filipino

president said there was an imminent danger to the stability of the country's energy supply. The country's foreign secretary told CNN that it

may run out of petrol in a matter of weeks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA THERESA LAZARO, PHILIPPINES FOREIGN AFFAIRS SECRETARY: How bad is it? Well, we are looking from the aspect of supply and the prices. It seems

that our supply for our petroleum needs is about -- about 40 to 45 days. And this is really had an impact. Particularly we may have the supply, but

the prices is really have gone high. Its already taking a toll on the ordinary Filipino. The transportation cost, the price of food because it

also affects, the fertilizers that are being used for our food security. So, these are all now -- it has its cascading effect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Still to come, an exclusive CNN investigation, the websites where men are taught how to drug then rape women. We'll track the men who use

them and the survivors who chose to speak up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK

[15:40:12]

FOSTER: Two years ago, the world was stunned by the story of Gisele Pelicot, a French woman whose husband had been drugging and raping her more

than 200 times, along with dozens of other men. Her decision to go public and take her abusers to trial shone a spotlight on a dark corner of the

Internet, where violence against women was planned in grim, meticulous detail.

Now an exclusive CNN investigation shows this hidden online world is still flourishing.

CNN's Saskya Vandoorne has more on just a warning before we begin. This report does contain accounts from survivors of sexual assault and abuse.

Those who appear on camera gave us their consent, and we respected the wishes of those who asked to remain anonymous.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It wasn't connecting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go ahead. What's your emergency?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've just heard from my daughter. She's on her own in a house with four children and has just learned she's been drugged with her

son's sleeping medicine.

ZOE WATTS, SURVIVOR: We worry about his coming behind us, walking down the street. We worry about going to our car late at night, but we don't worry

about who we lie next to. I didn't realize I had to.

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Zoe Watts may never know if the videos her husband made of her being raped were ever uploaded

online. She met him when she was 17. He's now serving 11 years for rape, sexual assault by penetration and drugging.

WATTS: I knew that he wanted to have a conversation because we'd had a church service that Sunday. He reeled off a list of his wrongdoings to me

as if it was, you know, a shopping list. I've done this, this, this, this, this, this and this. I've been using our son's sleeping medication to put

in your last cup of tea at night to tie you down, take photographs and rape you. And I think I just went into shock

VANDOORNE (voice-over): Zoe kept the abuse secret for a few months as she grappled with what had happened to her, speaking out only after a severe

panic attack, her mother then called the police.

WATTS: There were some times I thought, you know, this isn't right, but what would it mean? What would our -- what would our family look like?

Their children would be without a dad and there would be a reputation. And my boys would grow up having a reputation and they'd know what their dad

was doing.

VANDOORNE: I've noticed you haven't used the word rape a lot. Tell me, tell me why.

WATTS: It just doesn't -- I don't know, it's -- it's like one of those things really, I really I struggle with that to say that that's what's

happened. It's like people can say it to me, but I just don't think, oh.

VANDOORNE: You know you're not alone.

WATTS: Yeah, yeah. Sadly.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): Huge numbers of explicit sleep videos are being uploaded online by users who claim it's non-consensual. One website

profiting from this is motherless.com.

Last year, we began investigating a porn site that gets over 60 million visits a month, focusing on the thousands of videos featuring women who

appear unconscious during sex acts. Most of its users are based in the U.S. It's home to so-called sleep content, with hundreds of thousands of views.

One popular hashtag is iCheck, a way of proving a woman is asleep.

We created a fake name and soon got into a private Telegram group dedicated to sharing sleep content with almost a thousand members. One day, a man in

the group were calling Piotr not his real name, DM'd me. Piotr admitted to me that he had been crushing pills into his wife's drink to rape her in her

sleep.

Without encouraging him, I tried to find out how he was managing to do this. Who was he? Where was he even when women come forward proving it can

be nearly impossible. Some drugs leave the body within 12 hours. Survivors often only realize much later what happened.

And even with the courage to speak out, there are still countless roadblocks when it comes to reporting to police or bringing a legal case.

Amanda Stanhope didn't know her partner had been abusing her for five years.

AMANDA STANHOPE, SURVIVOR: The police had to look through all these videos.

VANDOORNE: And what did they make of them?

STANHOPE: The one where I was absolutely horrified and he'd performed a sexual act on my face whilst I was unconscious. And it was completely

clear.

[15:45:00]

And the police looked at this one and I thought, there's the evidence. And the police said to me -- well, we can't use that. That isn't clear evidence

because it looks like you're pretending to be asleep.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): Her former partner was charged with multiple counts of rape and sexual assault. He took his own life before the case

could go to court.

While talking to survivors. The man I was DM-ing continued to message and send me videos.

VANDOORNE: It made me even more determined to try and meet him. To get him in person. So I'm going to send him a message now, and I'm going to see if

he would meet with us.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): By now, wed worked out he was in Poland, and we knew roughly where he lived, but he refused to meet. And then a tip he let

slip that he was planning to attend a party.

VANDOORNE: That's him. I recognize him.

So, we're inside the restaurant. And I've just seen him dancing with her. And at the start of this investigation, all of these men were faceless. And

so, seeing him tonight has just really brought home the fact that this is happening in real life.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): The man who had been messaging me day and night was only a few feet away, oblivious. I'd come to see if he was real. And

there he was with his wife, the same people I saw in the videos.

We couldn't approach Piotr's wife without potentially putting her in danger, so we reached out to police about our findings. The Telegram group

we infiltrated eventually disappeared, but it's a pattern authorities know well. One goes offline, another soon resurfaces.

We reached out to both Motherless and Telegram, but did not receive a response as campaigns by German journalists to shut down, motherless and

strengthen moderation on similar platforms continue videos of women who appeared to be abused while unconscious are still being uploaded, and U.S.

safe harbor laws largely protect the site from liability.

In the end, it all comes back to Gisele Pelicot, the survivor whose trial shocked France and drew global attention with astonishing dignity. She has

taken hold of her own harrowing experience.

VANDOORNE: In reporting this case, we've spoken to multiple survivors who say they were drugged and raped by their husbands, and many of them see you

as a source of strength. With your permission, I'd like to read you some of the messages that these survivors have sent to me to read to you.

One survivor, her name is Amanda Stanhope. She lives in Wigan. Her strength inspired me to speak out. She broke the silence and shame. So many

survivors are forever grateful to her. I'd love to say thank you. If she can do it, then so can I.

GISELE PELICOT, SURVIVOR (translated): You're making me cry. It's beautiful. These are testimonies that move me, of course, but it is nice to

say to yourself that they have found this strength. I was able to transmit that to them, it was a win, because we must indeed be united with

everything that happens. Because if you stay in your corner, you will never shift perceptions.

And I say bravo ladies, bravo. Don't be ashamed of doing it. All women must be able to do this process, even if it is very difficult, even if it is

very complicated in their head.

But they're going to get there. It takes time. It can take months, days, maybe, even years. But they will eventually get there.

VANDOORNE (voice-over): Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Joining me now, CNN producer, Niamh Kennedy, who worked with Saskya on that report.

I mean, it was incredible investigation, because it shows how prevalent the problem. It wasn't just the pillow case. I know you had to spend a lot of

time in these chat groups, which must have been hideous, but just tell us how they work.

NIAMH KENNEDY, CNN PRODUCER: Yeah. These Chat Groups, you know, we had no idea what they were going to be like, entering into them. You know, the

chat group that we found, this telegram group, there were 1,000 people in it, which was astonishing in itself. There were people from France, Chile,

Brazil, all around the world.

And what was happening was it was really just like a kind of bizarre community for these men that were involved. You know, there was a kind of

kinship in it. One man would ask a question, you know, he would say, I'm interested in drugging and raping my wife. How do I do this? Someone else

would kind of chip in and be like, well, you should do this. I've used this drug before. Someone else would ask a question like, what height is she?

What way does she?

And then, you know, a couple of hours later, you'd have a video of what, you know, appeared to be abused.

FOSTER: How did you hide yourself?

KENNEDY: We had -- we had ourselves by just.

FOSTER: Saying you were men.

KENNEDY: Yeah, basically. And we followed we obviously had guidelines that we had to follow. But what was quite interesting again is like these

spaces, they're not on the dark web.

[15:50:01]

You know, these are on the clear web.

FOSTER: Yeah.

KENNEDY: But once these men that have these interests, you know, find these spaces, as I said, there's a kind of kinship and they just kind of

wanted to talk. So, we were just asking them questions to try and understand this world. And, you know, obviously, the man that we found in

Poland was incredibly forthcoming and was willing to share a lot of information.

FOSTER: Yeah. It's as if they want the community want to talk and then they get the wrong person. They speak to you. But, you know, it's so stark

what you discover here. Has there been reaction from authorities?

KENNEDY: And, yeah, it's been great. We've actually got a fair amount of reaction today. As you see, like this is a problem that transcends, you

know, jurisdictions, countries like, you know, it's global in its scale. And we spoke to survivors from the U.K. and from Italy.

And, you know, we've had responses from lawmakers in both of those countries. So here in the U.K., we have a safeguarding minister, Jess

Phillips, and she responded to our report saying, you know, it underscores why governments like the U.K. need a task force of police basically

cracking down on these online perpetrators. And she said, you know, from now on, there will be nowhere, quote, "for these criminals to hide".

And, you know, initially as well, we had a lawmaker reach out to us there from the Democratic Party. Laura Boldrini, and she called our report a

catalyst for accountability in what is a very still patriarchal kind of landscape.

FOSTER: Yeah. Well, I'm sure there'll be more reaction. Thank you. Amazing work.

KENNEDY: Thank you.

FOSTER: Help is available if you've experienced any of the abuse that we've been talking about there. In the U.S., call the National Sexual

Assault hotline or chat any time on rain.org. Outside the U.S., U.N. Women and the Pixel Project provide a list of agencies that are available around

the world for you.

We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Travelers across the U.S. are bracing for another weekend of brutally long security lines at airports. Congress is yet to reach a deal

to fund the Department of Homeland Security. That means agents from the Transportation Security Administration are set to miss another paycheck

this weekend. Some airports are reporting that around 40 percent of their TSA workers are refusing to even show up each day.

Well, passengers are growing increasingly frustrated at the situation, of course, but they are not blaming the TSA agents for these delays.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At the end of the day, I don't think it's fair that they're not getting paid. They should be getting paid. It's just like

everyone has a paycheck, bills due.

[15:55:03]

So, it's unfair to them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not going to work for free. I don't expect them to, but -- I mean, the politicians need to get their head out of their ass. I

mean, I don't understand why Congress still gets paid while they do political games to shut everything down and inconvenience the people that

they're supposed to be working for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, finally tonight, it's a race against time for a stranded humpback whale, a rescue crews in Germany are trying to help it out of that

shallow water in the Baltic, the whale did move and turn slightly once those rescue operations got underway, which is a good sign. A dredger and

an excavator were brought in to dig a channel which could help the whale reach deeper water.

The whale was first spotted earlier this month when it got tangled in a fishing net, but it is well at the moment it seems, thankfully.

I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Do stay with CNN.

END

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