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What We Know with Max Foster

Passengers From Virus-Hit Ship Being Quarantined, Monitored; Trump Slams "Stupid" Counterproposal That Iran Calls "Generous"; How Iran May Be Linked To Antisemitic Attacks; Venezuela's Problems Persist Despite U.S. Ousting Of Maduro. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired May 11, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:31]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN HOST: The cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak is on the move again.

I'm Paula Newton, in for Max Foster. This is WHAT WE KNOW.

The final few passengers on board that hantavirus hit cruise ship have now disembarked. But their ordeal is far from over. Many now face weeks of

quarantine and uncertainty, of course, at medical facilities all over the world, medical authorities say they expect more cases to crop up among the

people who were on that ship. Hantavirus is often slow to produce symptoms, but they stress that the risk of wider spread is extremely low.

Now, we watched this a short time ago as the ship, the MV Hondius, left port in the Canary Islands. It is headed for the Netherlands, where it will

be thoroughly scrubbed and disinfected.

Now 18 of the evacuated passengers are now back in the United States. Most of them have been taken to a special facility in Nebraska that is designed

especially for quarantine and for treating victims of contagious viruses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM PILLEN, NEBRASKA GOVERNOR: I am satisfied and Nebraskans can be, that the rest of America can be satisfied that there is a strong plan in place

and to ensure the folks are secure for their initial assessment, and we are working diligently to ensure no one leaves the security in an unsecured way

at an inappropriate time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: CNN's Dianne Gallagher is in the U.S. state of Nebraska at that special facility that is housing the quarantine passengers.

And, Dianne, it is good to have you on the ground there. There are a lot of concerns, of course, not just in the United States, but beyond about what

this means, especially now that there are more cases cropping up from that ship.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And look, there are 18 cases of Americans. One of them is a dual U.S. British citizen. But

two of the individuals were actually brought here and then went to Atlanta, Georgia. One of those people experienced some symptoms that came on

shortly, either before getting onto the plane or just after. And that person and a companion were taken to Atlanta, to Emory hospital, where they

are then being observed and assessed at a biocontainment unit there.

The remaining 16 people are here in Omaha, Nebraska, and 15 of them are in the building that you see behind me. The national quarantine unit is

actually located in the basement of this building, and, look, medical officials describe it as kind of like a hotel, except for it has negative

pressure and it has an elite ventilation system, along with access to some of the best medical professionals when it comes to infectious disease, that

they can meet.

Now, what they are doing here in Nebraska right now is they arrived in the wee hours of Monday morning. So today is all about assessments. They're

going to be interviewing them, trying to determine when they may have had their last contact with a person experiencing symptoms, or a person who has

tested positive.

And from there, they'll do monitoring, taking temperatures for some people, that may include taking actual PCR tests depending on, again, their

individual situation. They'll determine who has a -- who's day one exposure is when. And from that point on, we have about 42 days for that incubation

period where they're going to monitor them for symptoms, continue evaluating them to determine whether or not they do, in fact, eventually

test positive for hantavirus.

Now, the key here, and you heard that in the sound bite is they may not have to stay here. Some of them, depending on their assessment, may be

allowed to go to their home city if they have adequate medical facilities to continue daily monitoring there. There is one person here in Nebraska

who did test positive, but they are asymptomatic. They are in a biocontainment unit here. Their experience will be quite different as they

have more aggressive monitoring and testing from the medical professionals here.

Again, they stress that because that person is asymptomatic based on their knowledge right now, that means that that likely is not a risk for

transmission. But they're trying to take every precaution that they can to ensure that it does not go beyond the individuals who are here in these

facilities here in the United States.

[15:05:03]

NEWTON: Yeah. And obviously, Dianne, that's the issue not just in the United States, but beyond the fact that not only are these patients being

taken care of, but the fact that they -- this virus will continue to be contained.

Dianne Gallagher for us -- grateful to have you there.

Now, a French cruise ship passenger has tested positive for the hantavirus. The French health ministry made the announcement Monday on a French radio

station. The woman showed symptoms during her return to France. She tested positive upon arrival in. Her health is said to have deteriorated

overnight.

The woman is one of five French nationals now who have been flown out of Tenerife on Sunday.

Melissa Bell is in the Canary Islands, where the MV Hondius has docked before setting sail a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The last of the passengers may have left the MV Hondius ahead of its onward

journey to the Netherlands, but amongst those 17 Americans evacuated on Sunday, at least one new case of hantavirus now confirmed, with another

passenger showing symptoms which can include fatigue and a fever. The two had been kept in isolation away from the others as they traveled to

Nebraska.

The American case is interesting because that passenger had been identified as having had close contact with some of the deceased passengers on board

the MV Hondius, which is why, when he was brought ashore on Sunday, he was brought ashore separately from the other American passengers. It's also a

reminder of the length of this virus incubation period.

The other confirmed case from those disembarked on Sunday, a French woman who begun feeling unwell on a flight to Rome. That's according to France's

health ministry. She is now in quarantine at this hospital to the north of the French capital.

TEDROS GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: The French passenger is deteriorating. Now imagine if that happened in the

ship, and her fate would have been more dangerous, actually. So she's in good hands and she's protected now.

BELL: Even as you have sought to contain this virus, the World Health Organization, with this operation, your understanding how it functions

better and better. Are you confident now that we know enough about it, that this is it? This is an outbreak that will have been confined to this. And

thanks to the work that you've done here.

GHEBREYESUS: We learned our lessons from COVID as well. As we said, this is not another COVID. It will not be any pandemic.

BELL (voice-over): What started as a voyage of adventure to some of the world's most remote islands turned into a nightmare for dozens of

passengers after three people died and several others fell ill with the virus. The evolution of the infection has been closely tracked by the World

Health Organization, even as it has sought to contain its spread.

DR. BORIS PAVLIN, MEDICAL EPIDEMIOLOGIST, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: The most important aspect from now, because the -- all the symptomatic people

were offloaded last in Cabo Verde, the issue now has turned to the remaining passengers and crew who had, to varying degrees, contact with

those sick individuals before they were offloaded.

BELL (voice-over): As the military style operation wrapped up in Tenerife, the ship's captain put out this message thanking everyone for their

solidarity.

JAN DOBROGOWSKI, CAPTAIN, MV HONDIUS: The past few weeks have been extremely challenging for us all, as I'm sure you know. What touched me the

most, what moved me the most was your patience, your discipline, and also kindness.

BELL (voice-over): The flurry of evacuations and repatriation flights seems to have gone smoothly. But even as the last passengers are offloaded,

it is those in contact with anyone who is both positive and symptomatic that are now at greatest risk.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Tenerife.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: So, it's not clear where negotiations stand between the United States and Iran after U.S. President Donald Trump soundly rejected Tehran's

counterproposal, labeling it garbage.

At the White House today, the president told reporters that Iranian leaders changed their mind when it appears the two countries are on the verge of an

agreement. And he had this to say when asked about the status of the current ceasefire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would call it the weakest right now, after reading that piece of garbage they sent us, I didn't even

finish reading it. They said, I'm not going to waste my time reading it. I would say it's one of the weakest right now. It's on life support.

They understand -- these are all medical people.

Dr. Oz, life support is not a good thing. Do you agree?

DR. MEHMET OZ, CMS ADMINISTRATOR: Dire prognostic.

TRUMP: I would say the cease fire is on massive life support where the doctor walks in and says, sir, your loved one has approximately a 1 percent

chance of living.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: CNN's Alayna Treene is with us from the White House.

Alayna, can you just try and parse this out for us? Right. I mean, we heard his comments and the analogy is clear. And yet what he is proposing to do,

especially as he has a trip to China later this week, is far from clear.

[15:10:00]

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It is. And I think one thing that is clear, Paula, and you could kind of see this in just watching the

president today in the Oval Office is that he is visibly frustrated.

And this is really, I think, been obviously a pattern throughout this entire cease fire, which is now extended into more than a month, but

particularly in these last few days where we saw a lot of movement really last week with a lot of people in that building behind me, because they had

heard this from the Pakistanis, you know, had been hoping that the Iranians were moving closer to a compromise.

Well, they finally returned their response to the U.S. proposal, which was given to the Iranians a little over a week ago now. And in Trump's words,

it was totally unacceptable, actually, what he said today when speaking to reporters, he called it a stupid proposal. Look, I think it's been very

difficult to see how the president is going to move forward. What is very clear is what his ultimate goal still is. He does want there to be a

diplomatic solution to this, and he is still very much prioritizing this idea of finding some sort of negotiation between Washington and Tehran to

end this war.

I don't think it's a secret that he does not want to have the U.S. continue major combat operations. But I also think there's a question of how, you

know, long, how much more patient can he be, particularly as he's hearing from a lot of different people inside the administration about the best

plans to move forward.

Now, what we did hear from him as well today, he did a number of interviews as we've seen him do throughout this entire war. And one of them, he spoke

to Fox News, and he essentially said that he believes that the Iranians are going to fold. He said, quote, "I will deal with them until they make a

deal." So that does seem to kind of lend to this idea that he's still waiting to hold out hope that perhaps negotiations are still viable here,

but is very much unclear.

I think one thing as well has been, you know, this question of whether or not the United States would resume Project Freedom, that initiative that

the president rolled out last week to help guide vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. He paused only after two days. He said that's also a potential

solution as well, to continue that effort.

But everything does remain very much in limbo here, and clearly no real substantial path forward. That is, I think, an easy solution right now,

particularly given just how far apart both sides are.

You did mention, Paul, and I do want to bring up that China trip that the president is expected to depart on, depart for tomorrow. That could really

be a key part of this as well. We know that the Chinese have been speaking with the Iranians. The Iranian foreign minister was just in China recently.

And so, from the conversations I'm having, it does seem like we shouldn't expect some major changes in the war. Before that trip, before the

president does sit down with Chinese President Xi Jinping. But again, things are very tenuous. And I think there's no question that the cease

fire is in its most fragile state at this point than it has been thus far.

NEWTON: Yeah. And as you said, fair to say, to see if anything changes if not before the visit than afterwards and what China's involvement may be in

the coming days.

Alayna Treene for us, grateful to you.

Coming up for us, CNN investigates a shadowy online group that's recruiting people in the U.K. to do their bidding. Why it could link the latest

antisemitic attacks in Europe right back to Iran.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:16:27]

NEWTON: In the wake of multiple antisemitic attacks in the U.K., organizers say 20,000 people gathered on Sunday opposite Downing Street for

a rally against antisemitism. It was led by the board of deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council and featured speeches by

senior politicians, as well as Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders. Organizers are calling on the government to follow through on its

commitments to fight hatred and extremism. Extremism that is fueling antisemitism.

And we do want to take a closer look now at those arson attacks targeting Jewish sites right across Europe in recent months. Many of them claimed by

the same shadowy online group with possible links to Iran backed paramilitaries.

So, who is carrying out these terrifying attacks and how are they being recruited?

Jomana Karadsheh has this shocking investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Seventeen claims of attacks targeting mostly Jewish sites in seven weeks. We've been

investigating Iran's possible links to these incidents. An investigation that has led us to a stunning discovery of something so sinister that, as

we'll show you, is happening right in the open.

KARADSHEH: They're asking me if I have access to Zionist individuals or assets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just a matter of time that one of our communities was going to come under attack.

KARADSHEH: We saw him taken away by an ambulance.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Days after the war in Iran began fire bomb and arson attacks hit buildings, including synagogues, Jewish centers and

schools in Europe, a previously unheard-of group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the

Righteous claim the attacks in not so sophisticated videos and statements.

We found that the claims seem to first appear on these Telegram channels they're associated with Iranian-backed Iraqi groups. A source close to

Kataeb Hezbollah, the most powerful of Iraqi Shia paramilitary groups that works closely with the IRGC, confirmed to us its links to Ashab al-Yamin

and told us some of its members are Iraqi.

Security experts believe the group is just a front for the IRGC. British counter terrorism police are investigating Iran's potential links to the

London attacks and whether the regime may be hiring criminal proxies to carry them out, possibly recruiting people online.

KARADSHEH: When you think of online recruitment by foreign intelligence services, you might assume that's something happening in the deep, dark

corners of the internet. But take a look at what we found.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): This Telegram channel in English and Hebrew, called VIP employment, says it's recruiting, quote, "high paid agents," it

claims, for Iranian intelligence. If you're ready to take the next step, it says hit the start button.

Undercover, producer Flo and I started two separate chats, exchanging direct messages over several days with these accounts.

FLORENCE DAVEY-ATTLEE, CNN FIELD PRODUCER: So, my conversation begins with someone calling -- Sina. They quickly ask me lots of questions about

myself, trying to get to know me. And then they assign me a task, two posters, anti-Trump, anti-war posters.

They asked me to film myself, putting them up on the streets of London, and offered me $2 per poster, paid in crypto.

[15:20:01]

And later on, the conversation, they seemed to coach me on how to avoid CCTV cameras. Do it in a place where there are no surveillance cameras,

they say.

At one point I question, how can I confirm your Islamic Republic intelligence as you say you are, and they say, the work I assigned you is

against the policies of the filthy Zionist regime and America.

KARADSHEH: With me, they get straight into it. What are my capabilities? What action can you take against Zionist individuals or assets? Do you have

access to specific individuals or information? They ask.

I ask what they mean by access to specific individuals or information. People who work in security and military agencies such as the Shin Bet, the

army and the Mossad, they say. And I asked them if they're only recruiting people in Israel, they said, no, we can hire anyone who can harm Israeli

interests or individuals.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): And with those words, we decided to end the conversation there. But others appear to have taken the bait. We found VIP

Employment, a channel with the same name, is alleged to have been used to recruit Israelis to spy for Iran. Referenced in this indictment and other

official documents.

The Israeli men were given initiation tasks very similar to the one we were given by the telegram account. From there, prosecutors say the men were

tasked with filming government and military sites in exchange for money. One of them an IDF reservist, was even offered more than $30,000 to

assassinate his commander.

We can't confirm any links between VIP Employment and the recent antisemitic attacks in Europe, but the one thing they seem to have in

common is Iran. Here in the UK, the wave of attacks has left the small Jewish community feeling more vulnerable than ever. One of the group's

targets in London, the Kenton United Synagogue, attacked they claim for being, quote, a center of Zionist influence, and its rabbi, a key

instrument of Zionism.

RABBI YEHUDA BLACK, KENTON UNITED SYNAGOGUE: Just take you in here.

KARADSHEH: Oh. The smell.

BLACK: Yeah, it's quite pungent, isn't it? And you can actually --

KARADSHEH: Still smell the fire days after.

BLACK: Ten days after, and it's still quite pungent, isn't it? They came from the outside. They smash this window in, and they threw a fire bomb in

here, you can see the damage that's been caused.

KARADSHEH: Wow. I mean, how did you feel when you walked in and you saw this?

BLACK: I was really upset, obviously. I mean, it's only a medical room. I mean that we can replace it, we can redecorate it, and everything else. But

what could have transpired that is really bad, you know?

KARADSHEH (voice-over): With antisemitism at record highs worldwide. Rabbi Black says the attacks were shock, but not a surprise.

BLACK: My biggest concern is that it has to stop. People have to realize that what's happening elsewhere is happening elsewhere, but what's appening

over here is plain antisemitism.

KARADSHEH: A 17-year-old British national pleaded guilty to arson without endangering life in a written statement, he apologized. He said he has

nothing against the Jewish people, and said that he didn't know that this was a synagogue.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Many of the suspects here and elsewhere in Europe are teenagers. Authorities are warning anyone considering getting involved

in these attacks for quick cash, they will be quote used once and thrown away. But it seems these attacks may have already opened the flood gates

involving others to follow.

On our way back from the synagogue, we noticed a heavy police presence.

KARADSHEH: As we were making our way, we heard that people had been stabbed here, and as we approached the police lines, we could see at the

time, the suspect was still on the ground surrounded by the police.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Two visibly Jewish men were stabbed. From the shadows, Ashab al-Yamin claimed the attack without providing evidence of

links to the suspect who according to police, has a history of mental illness and serious violence, claim, confuse, intimidate and inspire --

that's all part of their tactics, leaving so many in this community bracing for even darker days ahead.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Now the Iranian embassy in London denied having any link with or involvement in those London attacks, writing, quote, "such baseless

accusations against the Islamic Republic of Iran lack credible evidence and appear to serve narrow political agendas and to mislead public opinion and

distract from the real root causes of terrorism and violent extremism."

Okay, still to come for us, a Venezuelan opposition leader speaks out about the future of her country.

[15:25:01]

We'll share what Maria Corina Machado told our Christiane Amanpour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is now pushing to be part of her country's future. The Trump administration allowed Vice

President Delcy Rodriguez to assume the presidency instead of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. That was after capturing Nicolas Maduro.

Machado spoke to our Christiane Amanpour, saying her motives are not about revenge but about making her country better for everyone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA CORINA MACHADO, NOBEL PEACE PRIZE LAUREATE: The wide majority of Venezuelans that have been involved with the regime, they did it for fear,

and we have opened our arms and given them the security that they will be part of this recovery of Venezuela.

This is not revenge. We will not do to them what they did to us. We will guarantee they will have safeguards and rights respected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now, Venezuela has been under the leadership of Acting President Delcy Rodriguez for the past four months now, although some Venezuelans

tell CNN's David Culver that even with Maduro gone, very little has changed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He says, you can't go any closer because the police have blocked it off. And you can see

they've got a big barricade.

CULVER (voice-over): A public demonstration, and we can't get in. These Venezuelans are calling on their government to raise wages and ease

repression. The police keep turning folks back.

CULVER: He's trying to tell us that there's another side to go to. We've driven all the way around this area for about 30 minutes, and we haven't

found a way to enter.

[15:30:05]

It looks like now we might have found one possible entry here, but, I mean, it's now towards the end of the march and demonstration.

She's saying elections have to come for a radical change. He says they took, meaning the U.S., Maduro, but left the rest of the system in place.

CULVER (voice-over): Delcy as an acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, who governs behind layers of security, several blocks of armed guards.

CULVER: Mobile command force right there.

CULVER (voice-over): Not surprising, given how her predecessors rule ended on January 3rd, when U.S. forces captured Nicolas Maduro and his wife,

Cilia Flores, their names and faces now plastered across Caracas bill boards, graffiti, homemade signs. The government at least wants them back.

CULVER: The reality is Maduro, a man who ran this country for some 13 years, even though he faces is everywhere here in Caracas. Well, he's in

custody, locked up in the U.S., the system he built that is still standing, and that's not lost on the people here.

CULVER (voice-over): Especially the families of the more than 450 political prisoners still in custody.

CULVER: We've driven about an hour outside the capital. We're headed to El Rodeo, which is considered to be one of the better-known prisons where many

of these political prisoners are believed to be held.

CULVER (voice-over): At the prison gate, family members live out of tents waiting for weekly visits.

CULVER: Because they don't have the money to make the trip multiple times they camp out, and on days like today, they have visits with their loved

ones.

CULVER (voice-over): Though, the repression has not totally lifted. It has loosened a lot.

CULVER: It's also worth noting that not everyone feels like the United States should be involved in Venezuela matters.

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

CULVER: You think he's crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I think he's crazy.

CULVER: At a pro government rally, we had folks coming up to us to say, Venezuela is not a colony. That sovereignty here matters to them.

CULVER (voice-over): But for most here, the deepest suffering is economic. The official minimum income just went up to $240 a month. Most Venezuelans

earn far less, and food alone cost nearly three times that amount. There is a small bubble of wealth, nice cars, weekend clubs, but most here live like

Maria Perez's family inside her parents' home, the scarcity is hard to miss.

MARIA PEREZ, CARACUS RESIDENT: Yeah.

CULVER: Is your dad --

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

CULVER: Yeah. She said her dad is a diabetic. Her mom's got severe arthritis when it comes to health care. It's really bad.

CULVER (voice-over): Her home is a 20-minute walk up hill from her parents, no real roads to get there.

CULVER: They only really have running water, she said, every 45 days. And so sorry, I'm out of breath a little bit, but the remainder of the days,

they rely on these big tanks.

CULVER (voice-over): Venezuela's leaders acknowledge how dire the economic situation is, and they often blame U.S. sanctions, though, the Trump

administration points to years of corruption, mismanagement and authoritarian rule as the cause.

CULVER: Most everyone that we spoke with over the past few days has given us some version of the same sentiment, and that is that they're grateful

that the U.S. captured Maduro. They're glad that he's gone. But as to what happens next when you ask them that question, they stress that is for

Venezuelans to decide, though they also emphasize they need the rest of the world to keep on watching.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: What we don't know is what does Venezuela's political future hold now?

Joining me is Vanessa Neumann. She is a former Venezuelan opposition diplomat. I want to thank you for being with us. As you know, in the last

few months, many have continued to try and keep the spotlight on Venezuela, except for the Trump administration, which says things are moving along so

well. That is what we hear from President Trump time and again.

So, you tell us, because the Trump administration does point to the fact that Delcy Rodriguez has, in fact, released some political prisoners and

that there is the beginning of some foreign investment and the economy is slowly but surely getting better.

What do you think?

VANESSA NEUMANN, FORMER VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION DIPLOMAT: Well, thank you for having me on again. It's a pleasure and an honor. But let me tell you,

I agree with most of what you said. So, it is complicated in the sense that things have not changed for the average Venezuelan for most of the average

Venezuelans, right? I still have friends and family down there, and there's a lot of fear of repression, so much fear of repression that some people

are afraid to even talk to me or write to me, or have anything to do because they know, because they are still seizing people randomly away from

the eyes of the media, away from the eyes of the Trump administration and throwing them in and having them being tortured.

[15:35:12]

We did have a big political opposition figure tortured to death this week. And so that still happens. These random -- these random captures. So, it's

still very much a dictatorial tyranny.

On the other hand, we do see some inklings of economic improvement, but very small because you have U.S. dollars, non-narco dollars, non-sanctioned

dollars have started flowing. You do see things like local providers starting to provide some medication, or some herbs or even some agriculture

to shops, right?

So, now, you're starting to see some local benefits and, and yet major infrastructure still collapses. I mean, we have the electricity that even

these oil majors need for the pipelines and for their infrastructure is still collapsing. And that is the effect of almost three decades of

kleptocracy.

NEWTON: And -- but, Vanessa, I have to ask you, do you believe that the Trump administration will tolerate this not just for months, but for years,

for as long as they're in power? Because once again, as David Culver just showed us as well, there is a veneer of freedom, but still very much so

that fear that you can't even speak out, even against the economy without consequences.

NEUMANN: Yeah, I think that's right. And I've said this time and again, and I -- you know, I would hope that I'm wrong because I'm a Venezuelan

American. And there's many others like me who will always support the people who speak out for freedom and democracy in Venezuela, whatever the

leader, whoever that leader may be, whether in the tyranny or in the pro- democracy movement.

However, I fear that the reality is that Venezuela will end up as a -- as hopefully, at least hopefully prosperous dictatorship. I do not see a

medium to long term shift to democracy. I hope it happens. I want it to happen. I just don't see that it will.

And in addition to that, we see that there's Venezuelan has been newly appointed to something called UCC Holding to push investment from the

Qataris into Venezuela and named by Al Khayyat, the Al Khayyat brothers are linked to the emir and the father of emir of Qatar, and they were

originally Syrian in 2010, reregistered as Qataris in 2011, and have named this Venezuelan.

NEWTON: Right.

NEUMANN: And he is in the middle of the negotiation with the Trump administration.

NEWTON: And --

(CROSSTALK)

NEUMANN: So, I do not see democracy coming anytime soon.

NEWTON: Yeah. And what you're pointing to, Vanessa, is obviously the continuation of a lot of what we saw under the Maduro regime.

Vanessa Neumann, we will have to leave it there for now, but thanks. Appreciate it.

Now we do turn to the final moments of trade on Wall Street. Stocks are up slightly. The Dow inching closer to that 50,000-point mark once again. You

see it there. But we will wait to see exactly what the market has to say about the future in Iran.

We want to go to our Business Breakout now. Saudi Arabia's state oil giant has seen a huge boost in profits thanks to those high oil profits caused by

the war in Iran. Saudi Aramco has seen a 26 percent jump in its first quarter profits. The company said it had sharply ramped up oil flows

through the East-West pipeline, which bypasses the Strait of Hormuz.

The energy crunch is being felt in India, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is urging citizens to conserve fuel and avoid having overseas

weddings. India is among the countries most affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Mr. Modi says India must reduce its use of petrol and

diesel and is also urging people to work from home.

And British pop star Dua Lipa is suing Samsung for $15 million. The singer says the South Korean company used an image of her without her consent. She

says the company used her photograph on cardboard boxes, packages for TV sets sold across the United States. Samsung says due to the ongoing legal

proceedings, it is not in a position to comment.

The family of a victim from last year's Florida State University mass shooting alleges ChatGPT inflamed and even encouraged the shooter. Police

say Tiru Chabba was one of two people killed by the shooter in 2025. Lawyers for the family allege ChatGPT helped the shooter. Phoenix Ikner

planned the logistics of that attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMY WILLBANKS, PLAINTIFF'S ATTORNEY: If Phoenix Ikner had been speaking to a human about all of these plans that he had and the things that he was

interested in and his mental state, a human would have escalated it to another human to make sure that somebody was checking on him and seeing if

he was okay, and checking to see if something dangerous might be about to happen.

[15:40:23]

And that did not happen here because of the nature of this product.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now, in a statement, OpenAI said while the shooting was a tragedy, ChatGPT was not responsible. The company says in this case, ChatGPT

provided factual responses to questions with information that could be found broadly across public sources on the internet, and it did not

encourage or promote illegal or harmful activity.

Okay, still to come for us, a passenger jet hits a person who jumped a fence at the Denver International Airport. We'll have the latest on that

investigation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: So securing an airport that's twice the size of Manhattan is, of course, a daunting task. And we saw that challenge, unfortunately, Friday

night at Denver International Airport.

A Frontier Airlines jet hit and killed a person at the airport. The airport actually says that this person jumped over a fence and crossed the runway.

You're seeing the video there at the moment of impact, the incident sparked an engine fire that was quickly put out.

Now the plane was headed to Los Angeles and had to be evacuated. A dozen passengers reported minor injuries.

Pete Muntean is in Washington for us.

And, you know, as horrifying as the details are of what we just discussed, Pete, I mean, look, you'll remind us, right, that it could have been much

worse. But again, what is that issue? Whether it's debris or a person -- I mean, how do you secure these large areas?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: It is so tough. And these incidents of people incursions on airport properties are rare, but they do

happen.

[15:45:01]

There was one back in 2020 involving a Southwest flight that hit a person on a runway in Austin, and a person escaped into the ramp and tarmac area

at Salt Lake City back in 2024, jumped into a running jet engine, and now there is this case. And Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington

says the airport is now conducting this full safety assessment.

Since this incident really raises major questions about how someone could possibly gain access into such a secure area. The security video clearly

shows a person walking on the runway one seven left from the east side of Denver International Airport. That's near the far end of the airfield.

A security fence and gate appear to be only a few hundred feet away on the satellite view. If you've ever been to Denver International Airport, you

know just how enormous it is. The airports famous for these super long taxi times. The property spans 53 square miles, roughly twice the size of

Manhattan, as you mentioned.

But here's one more interesting statistic here. You can fit the area of DFW, LAX, Chicago O'Hare and Atlanta in the area of the Denver

International airport, 36 miles of fencing an airport. Officials say they rely on a combination of technology, surveillance, physical inspections to

secure it. But now the airport says its reviewing its entire perimeter safety program.

A lot of people are also asking why the airplane couldn't simply swerve to avoid this person on the runway. The preliminary data shows the aircraft

was still accelerating for takeoff, about 120 knots. It's about 135mph. At that speed, the planes covering about 200 feet every second, weighs about

200,000 pounds. So simply not designed for sharp, acute maneuvering while still on the runway.

And because this happened at night, spotting a person on the runway would have been extremely difficult for the pilots.

There are also questions about this evacuation here. The crew evacuated all 231 people on board directly onto the runway, using the emergency slides

that you're familiar with in the passenger briefing, some passengers reported smoke in the cabin, questioned the speed of the evacuations, but

safety experts are especially concerned about this. The video showing passengers taking carry-on bags with them during the evacuation.

In an emergency like this, every second matters. Never take your bags during an evacuation. It's become a major focus of the National

Transportation Safety Board here in the U.S. in recent years, because carry-on luggage can really slow evacuations and block exits when lives are

on the line. The NTSB says it's not opened a formal investigation into this incident just yet. Still gathering information right now.

NEWTON: Yeah, but a lot for any passenger on an airplane to take in there. And I don't know anything about aviation, Pete, but I can tell you, I am

not questioning why that plane could not swerve to miss this poor soul on the runway.

Pete Muntean, thanks for that clarification. Appreciate it.

Now, still to come, the countdown is on. Just one month to go until the start of the FIFA World Cup. We'll check in on preparations for footballs

or soccer's biggest stage after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:46]

NEWTON: Okay, football fans around the world, as if we have to remind you, right? Theres just one month now until the start of the FIFA World Cup

right here in north America. Final preparations underway across the United States, Canada and Mexico, who will jointly host this tournament.

The lead up has been marred, though, of high-ticket prices, while at the same time, Mexico and Mexico officials are trying to reassure fans that

they will, in fact, be safe.

So, what we want to know is our Mexico, Canada and the U.S. ready for this World Cup.

Joining me now is Dax McCarty is former U.S. international and commentator on major league soccer. That is the MLS.

But first, we do want to go to CNN's Valeria Leon, who is outside the Estadio Azteca for us.

I know there have been a lot of preparations to that stadium behind you to get this ready for its World Cup opener.

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of preparations, Paula. Actually, we got here this morning and there were workers working around the clock to

get this stadium ready in one month. June 11th would be the opening match here in this Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Mexico will face South Africa

for this opening match.

And this stadium is one of the biggest in the region. It has a capacity of 85,000 people. And this stadium will play a key role during the World Cup.

Five of the 13 World Cup matches played in the country will be played here, including, of course, the opening match.

But for many Mexicans, the tickets, the prices of those tickets are skyrocketing and they feel the world cup is out of reach for many Mexicans.

A single ticket for the opening match is now over $2,000, and for a hospitality areas up to more than $3,000, but still, excitement is building

up and many ahead of welcoming millions of tourists for the world cup. And I spoke with one fan here outside the stadium.

And here's what he told me about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people is just lovely in Mexico, like we are. Were a really lovely, welcoming people. So wherever we were, it was just

fantastic. And now in Mexico City, I was talking to the taxi driver and last night we went to walk around and, and it's -- I think anyway, I'm from

Mexico City. So I think it still is one of the safest places to be, I would say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Dax, I think we can count on the enthusiasm from Mexico. I think it's the United States and Canada that everyone's wondering. We're a month

out, as we said, what's your assessment of how things will go.

DAX MCCARTY, FORMER U.S. MEN'S FOOTBALLER: I think everything is going to go fantastically well. If there's one thing I know about the U.S. and the

infrastructure when it comes to hosting massive events, by and large, they always hit it out of the park. Of course, you can always quibble with some

things going on.

High ticket prices traveling into the United States at the moment isn't the easiest, but I think once the tournament starts, people are going to be

able to get here and support their teams. You're going to see so many different cultures be able to come together for what is going to be the

biggest sporting event in the history of the world.

NEWTON: You were 100 percent correct about that.

In terms of the event itself, and I'm glad to hear your enthusiasm. I'm wondering if the fans are really going to care, carry this. I mean, when

you talk about the United States or even Canada for that matter, you have all of these different partisans right from different countries.

They live here. They've lived here for generations. And yet when their national pride is on the line, they're going to bring it, aren't they?

MCCARTY: They absolutely will. That's exactly what you do when your home country shows up to play in a massive sporting event. The United States,

Canada, Mexico, traditionally, they're big melting pots of all kinds of different races, religions, backgrounds, people from all over the place.

And need I remind our viewers that soccer, football, it is the global game.

And so, when the global game comes to our shores. Think back to 1994, how that really sparked the interest of a nation. It sparked the interest so

much that we actually created Major League Soccer off the backs of that World Cup.

[15:55:03]

I can't help but think forward to 10, 15 years from now, how many kids will be inspired by the generation of players that are coming to our shores in a

month to put on a show?

NEWTON: We want to see those words come alive on the pitch. In one month, we're all gearing up.

Dax, thanks so much.

And thanks to you as well, Valeria in Mexico City.

Now, we do want to bring you some breaking news in from the U.S. Supreme Court, a short-term order that allowed women in the United States to

continue to access an abortion pill via remote appointments has now been extended. A temporary order on the ability to access mifepristone -- pardon

me -- was due to expire in just over an hour from now. Instead, this new extension means it runs until Thursday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

The issue here is a case that argues that the drug should only be available to women seeing their doctors in person. We will, of course, have more on

that story coming up.

I'm Paula Newton. That is WHAT WE KNOW. Stay with CNN. We'll have much more after a break.

END

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