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What We Know with Max Foster

U.S. Justice Department Indicts Former Cuban Leader Raul Castro; Iran's Top Negotiator: "Enemy" Seeking A New Round Of War; Trump Holds Off On Resuming Iran Attacks For Now; Xi and Putin Hold Talks In Beijing Meeting. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired May 20, 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]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Cuba's foreign -- former president, rather, indicted by the United States.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

We begin with that breaking news. The acting U.S. attorney general says he expects former Cuban leader Raul Castro to face charges in the United

States. Those charges include murder and conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals. The Justice Department unsealed an indictment just a short while ago

against Castro, 30 years in the making.

Castro was serving as defense minister in 1996, and that's when U.S. authorities say he ordered the Cuban air force to shoot down two civilian

planes belonging to Brothers to the Rescue. A Cuban American exile group. Four men, including three American citizens, were killed.

Last hour in Miami, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was asked whether Raul Castro, like former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, could be

brought to the U.S. by force to face those charges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCHE, ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL: We didn't indict. This isn't a show indictment. This is an indictment because we expect that there was a

warrant issued for his arrest. So, we expect that he will show up here by his own will or by another way, and go to prison.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Patrick Oppmann is in Havana.

Obviously, two sides to this, Patrick, you know, the perspective from the families of those victims and how they feel today. But there's also the

wider context about the plan for Cuba

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. This is just one piece of a very well-orchestrated pressure campaign that started in Venezuela with

the U.S. snatching Venezuelan leader also under indictment, Nicolas Maduro. And that was the first domino that fell for Cuba, because, of course, Cuba

was getting their oil from Venezuela. The U.S. has then put in a oil blockade on this island, other than one Russian donation of oil. There's

been no oil that's coming in here for months. And you see that every day on the streets here, which are increasingly empty. Their blackouts now,

they're stretching most of the day across this island.

And now to have an indictment of former leader Raul Castro, still incredibly important and powerful figure on this island. You know, the U.S.

is saying, essentially, Cuba, you can open up your economy, your political system, the easier way, or you can do it the harder way, which could

include a military action.

That's what Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel posting on X just a little while ago, saying that this is a precursor to the U.S. carrying out a

military action, military strikes on this island. This gives them now a veneer of legality to do so. That Raul Castro has been indicted. That would

allow the U.S. to come, as they did with Nicolas Maduro, and try and seize him.

But on this island, you know, only about 150 miles away from the courtroom where they'd like to trial Raul Castro. But getting him there will be quite

difficult because Cuba officials have told me over the years that they would lay down their life for Raul Castro, and certainly, everyone in this

government is there because Raul Castro put them there. The military has been handpicked by him.

He's still the army general. He's still called the leader of the revolution. He is a figure here, even at 94 years of age, with a lot of

symbolism around him. And he's not someone that anyone in the Cuban government would advocate to trade for a better economic deal with the U.S.

So, this ratchets up the pressure quite a bit. And the question now is, does Cuba just walk away from any hope of reaching a deal with the U.S.

Already, negotiations were not going well. I would not be surprised if they broke down entirely as Cuba -- more and more, the government here at least

feels that a U.S. military action is what's coming next.

FOSTER: Okay. Patrick in Havana, thank you.

Well, amid all of the geopolitics and legal factors at play here that Patrick was talking us through, this is also an emotional moment for many

Cubans and Cuban Americans, because Isabel Rosales spoke to one former pilot with brothers to the rescue just after this indictment was unsealed.

And he tells her he's been waiting for this moment for 30 years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REINALDO MARTIN, FORMER PILOT, BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE: Goosebumps and, you know, hard to talk, but it's hard because we've been working on this for a

while since it happened. And I think we finally coming around to get it done. And this is the beginning of it, but it finally gets done.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And we've been going through some of the pictures right here of your memories back from the `90s, from Hermanos al

Rescate, Brothers to the Rescue.

[15:05:03]

You were very good friends with two of those that were lost.

MARTIN: Two of those, Carlos --

ROSALES: They were Cuban American.

MARTIN: Right.

ROSALES: Carlos and Mario --

MARTIN: Mario de la Pena.

ROSALES: How would you like for them to be remembered?

MARTIN: Well, I'd like there were -- there were humanitarians that had big hearts and they helped out. Sorry.

Like ourselves and everybody in there, we all helped out and we did a lot of things, a lot of good things. And that's how I -- you know, I remembered

them. So, but it's hard.

ROSALES: Yeah. It's a lot of emotions for you today. It's been 30 years in the making, right?

MARTIN: Yeah.

ROSALES: What does it mean to have Raul Castro, that name, at the top of this indictment?

MARTIN: He deserves it because he's the one that called the shooting down of our airplanes. We're innocent fliers. We were in the middle of the

Florida Straits. We weren't in Cuban waters or anything. That was just murdering, murdering people like anybody else. Any other murder would go

out and kill somebody with no reason.

ROSALES: Yeah.

MARTIN: And that's the way it should be. He should have -- he should have been in jail 30 years ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Now, Iran's top negotiator says the enemy is seeking to restart the war there. That is the response to President Trump's claims that he

postponed an attack on Iran this week at the request of several Gulf nations. It's been six weeks since the U.S. paused Operation Epic Fury for

a ceasefire, though peace talks have largely stalled.

Earlier, a reporter asked if Israel will lead or will follow the U.S. lead, and President Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will do

whatever he says.

Kristen Holmes is standing by.

I mean, the context to that is that Israel actually wants the U.S. to go further anyway. So presumably they'll brace.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESEPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, it depends on what exactly President Trump wants. And I certainly don't think

the Israelis and Benjamin Netanyahu would want it to be categorized exactly like that. I will tell you one thing is President Trump was just asked

again, he was talking to reporters about Israel, about Iran. He specifically said when it came to Iran that he wasn't frustrated by the

back and forth at this point, saying that if the delays save lives, then they're worth it.

There's obviously been questions as to whether Benjamin Netanyahu agrees with that as well. We know that there's been some frustration on that side.

And earlier he said this when asked about where he stood with Iran. He said right at the border line, believe me, if we don't get the right answers, it

goes very quickly. We're all ready to go.

So essentially kind of giving mixed messages here, saying that they're willing -- he's both willing to delay, he's willing to continue to have

these negotiations. And he's also saying that if they don't get the answers they want and quickly, they're ready to attack. Now, when it comes to

Netanyahu, we were told yesterday they had this roughly hour long phone call.

And then here's what President Trump was saying, you kind of alluded to this, earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: What have you said to Prime Minister Netanyahu about Iran and how long to hold off on strikes?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's fine. He'll do whatever I want him to do. He's very, very good, man. He'll do whatever I

want him to do. And he's a -- he's a great guy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: He also said that he was very popular, he being President Trump, in Israel and could run for prime minister. He also said that Netanyahu

wasn't being treated fairly. So, clearly, heaping praise on there, but also the praise on himself as well.

FOSTER: Okay, Kristen, appreciate it, from the White House there.

Now, there is growing international outrage over a video of Israel's far right national security minister, Ben-Gvir. In it, he appears to be

taunting detained Gaza flotilla activists.

Nada Bashir has the details

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACTIVIST: Free, free Palestine.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was the scene at the port of Ashdod, where hundreds of activists attempting to deliver

humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea were detained.

Israel's far right national security minister was filmed touring the port and taunting activists. Some seen kneeling with their hands tied behind

their backs and faces to the ground, while the Israeli national anthem plays in the background.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

BASHIR: More than 400 activists attempting to sail to Gaza as part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition were detained on Monday and Tuesday after their

boats were intercepted and boarded by Israeli forces off the coast of Turkey, with shots fired by the IDF towards some of the roughly 60 boats in

the flotilla. Though Israeli officials say IDF forces did not fire live ammunition.

[15:10:04]

Independent counsels from human rights organization Adalah are said to have met with some of the detained activists at the port before they were

transferred to Israel's Ketziot prison.

International criticism to the video release was swift, including from Italy's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, who described the incident as an

unacceptable violation of the activists' human dignity.

Ireland's prime minister, Micheal Martin, also said Israel was in breach of international law, adding that he intends to raise the issue at E.U. level.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, defended the stopping of the flotilla but also sought to distance himself from Ben-Gvir, saying

the actions of his national security minister were not in line with Israel's values and norms

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Nada there. Well, Russia is turning its attention to China amid its war against Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin just wrapped up his one-

day trip to Beijing, telling Chinese leader Xi Jinping talks were successful. His visit comes less than a week after Mr. Xi walked the red

carpet with U.S. President Donald Trump.

As Mike Valerio reports, she hailed this set of ties with Russia as a force for what he calls calm amid the chaos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly the goal in what both Beijing and Moscow wanted to project here is certainly a different

alternative leadership, a counterweight to American and Western-oriented leadership that nations from the Global South are members of the global

community at large could look at as potentially, certainly from the point of view of China and Russia, a more stable partner compared to the United

States or Western leadership, especially if any nation is looking to partner with the United States and sees perhaps disarray with American

alliances, or how the white house is treating certain partner nations.

The message from Beijing and Moscow is absolutely to look perhaps towards them as a different option, in a different way forward. And why both

leaders Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin were here were to mark the 25th anniversary of a friendship treaty charting a different course between

Russia and China. It was signed 25 years ago, in 2001, where, when, if you'll remember, if you lived through it in the cold war, or if you're a

student of history, you'll recall that relations between the Soviet Union and China were at a nadir, especially in the `60s. And by 2001, they both

decided to go on a different pathway forward as more or less partners.

So, what they're doing today, both Xi and Putin are what they did during this visit, Putin has now left Beijing was to show the world that they

could change their trajectory. This is what they've done over the past 25 years. And here's how they're going to help each other moving forward. So,

to that end, to looking again beyond American leadership and potentially how to have a counterbalance to it, we saw Chinese and Russian economic

goals that were outlined in the joint statement put out as soon as this meeting was wrapping up, like continuing to expand settlements, when we're

talking about trade and national currencies, be it the ruble or the yuan here in China, less dependance on the U.S. dollar, deepening banking

cooperation between the two nations in order to build an economic system that's able to withstand Western pressure and sanctions over the long term.

There's also Russia and Chinese pledged expanded cooperation in everything from artificial intelligence, oil, gas, nuclear energy, renewable

capabilities, and also agreeing to more deeper cooperation with military exercises.

Mike Valerio, CNN, Beijing

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Coming up, what President Donald Trump told graduates at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:16:48]

FOSTER: U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a commencement speech to the graduating class at the Coast Guard Academy today. Mr. Trump had this

message for the new graduates.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No matter how terrible the storm, no matter how difficult the mission, never surrender. Keep going.

Keep fighting and make the adversary quit first. Let them quit. They're going to quit if you keep going.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: It's been a rough week for some commencement speakers, though. Graduates are entering a workforce upended by artificial intelligence, and

it appears to be causing some anxiety. Just the mention of A.I. prompted angry reactions during a couple of graduation ceremonies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC SCHMIDT, FORMER CEO, GOOGLE: Last December, "Time Magazine" selected its person of the year for 2025, and it was this time, it was the

architects of artificial intelligence. Interesting.

(JEERS)

GLORIA CAULFIELD, REAL ESTATE EXECUTIVE: The rise of artificial intelligence is the next industrial revolution -- whoa.

(BOOS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: So, what we want to know is what is the secret to a good commencement speech for the class of 2026?

Joining me now is David Litt. He was a speechwriter for former U.S. President Barack Obama, famously one of the best speakers in the world.

David, would you agree

DAVID LITT, FORMER SPEECHWRITER FOR BARACK OBAMA: I would agree, I guess I'm a little biased in that respect, but I think that's a pretty

uncontroversial thing to say.

FOSTER: In terms of President Trump's main message there, never surrender. Not a bad message if you consider that, you know, keep going is a pretty

good message. But he was also saying you got to fight and win when, you know, would you agree with that? Or would you call for more collaboration -

- collaboration?

LITT: Well, I think what was interesting about President Trump's speech, which was for Trump's standards, which is saying something, a normal speech

isn't so much what he told the graduates. As you say, that's pretty standard advice. It's the mismatch between the perception that most people,

most Americans, certainly have of what's happening in the world and the advice that President Trump gave.

So right now, it feels like we are fighting in Iran, but there isn't a sense that were achieving the objectives that we set out to achieve. Maybe

because those objectives weren't so clear. So, I think that's one of the things that commencement speakers in general, even if you're not the

president, have to struggle with, you have to figure out how to give advice that makes sense in the context of the moment, not just generic advice.

FOSTER: The big war feels like A.I., though, doesn't it? Listening to those other speakers, whenever you mention A.I., it gets a real backlash.

Is that the tension between generations, do you think, that the older generations are creating A.I., which is damaging the younger generation's

prospects

LITT: I think it's not so much that the generations don't agree, it's that they're living in different realities, but also that the older generation

in this case, is appearing to not notice or care about the younger generation's realities. And that's the opposite of what a commencement

speech should be for. In other words, I think most of us agree that A.I. is going to be part of the future.

[15:20:02]

But a commencement speech has to tell young people how they are also going to be part of the future.

FOSTER: Yeah.

LITT: So, what you're -- when young people hear A.I. is coming to replace you, isn't that terrific? Unsurprisingly, they're not very excited about

that message. I wouldn't be either.

FOSTER: Okay, well, we've put together some of the, you know, the lasting commencement speeches, which consistently do well online. Some of the

iconic ones, including one from your former boss. But let's look at some of the ones that people may have heard of before.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE JOBS, APPLE CO-FOUNDER: For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, if today were the last day of my

life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? And whenever the answer has been no for too many days in a row, I know I need to change

something.

TAYLOR SWIFT, SINGER-SONGWRITER: How do I give advice to this many people about their life choices? I won't. The scary news is you're on your own

now, but the cool news is you're on your own now.

JIM CARREY, ACTOR: On the other side of that door, there's a world starving for new ideas, new leadership. I've been out there for 30 years.

She's a wild cat. Oh, she'll rub up against your leg and purr until you pick her up and start petting her. And then out of nowhere, she'll swat you

in the face.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: When your journey seems too hard, and when you run into a chorus of cynics who tell you that you're being foolish

to keep believing, or that you can't do something, or that you should just give up, or you should just settle, you might say to yourself a little

phrase that I found handy these last eight years, "Yes, we can".

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: You know what, David? I do think it's fascinating because there is a theme there, and it was used by President Trump as well. Never surrender,

keep going. So, he was on -- on message in a way

LITT: I think that, broadly speaking, the idea of perseverance and sticking with it, it's a commencement cliche, to be sure. And I don't say

that as a bad thing. Commencements are always cliche, and that's partly because a lot of those cliches have truth to them. What I think really

matters, and what you heard in all of those commencements is what is the advice that graduates can use at a really exciting but also unsettling time

in their lives?

And I always feel like when I've worked with different people on commencements, what's the. I always try to put myself back in the frame of

mind I had when I graduated from college.

And I think what -- looking out at the world and trying to figure out what is my place in it going to be, what can I actually use? And I think, by the

way, that that Trump's point about fighting and never surrendering, it's not necessarily bad advice, although I think he -- doesn't seem to be.

It's a little bit different, right? It's not perseverance. It's more about kind of never listening to other people. And I do think it explains, you

know, Trump following his own advice, explains some of the headwinds that he's facing right now.

FOSTER: Let's talk about A.I. again, just briefly. If you were advising someone doing a high-profile commencement speech, how to deal with this

tension that's clearly in the room right now where you have to talk about A.I. because it's going to be part of their future. The people you're

speaking to, but it's felt as a threat. How would you turn that around into something more positive?

LITT: I think you have to meet people where they are, and for young people, and frankly, for most people, that starts with saying, this is --

this is frightening and it's unsettling, right? I -- graduating from college, it's always unsettling, but graduating from college into a world

where A.I. is eating a lot of entry level jobs, that is scarier than ever.

So, you can tell people how to, you know, I'm going to use pretty cliche language here how to thrive in an age of A.I. or whatever you want to call

it. But to do that, you first have to recognize that that is not -- that's something many people are going to be very skeptical about. And instead of

dismissing their concerns, you need to acknowledge their concerns and show that you've really listened.

FOSTER: David, really appreciate it. You've got so much experience of this, and they are always fascinating to watch these speeches.

David, thank you.

We do have some news just into CNN. A sinkhole found at LaGuardia Airport in New York. The huge hole in the pavement on the side of the runway was

discovered this morning. The runway will be closed until Thursday morning as construction crews rushed to repair that damage. Travelers already

facing many flight delays and cancellations, according to FlightAware, as there are only two runways at LaGuardia.

Still to come, we go back to Cuba for more on the U.S. pressure campaign on the island nation. The role that the U.S. secretary of state is playing in

all of that, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:28:01]

FOSTER: Returning now to our top story, the U.S. charging Cuba's former president with murder. Federal prosecutors say that while Raul Castro was

Cuba's defense minister in 1996, he ordered the Cuban military to shoot down two civilian planes from the Cuban American exile group Brothers to

the Rescue. Four people were killed, and though some say this indictment is about putting pressure on the Cuban regime, the acting U.S. attorney

general said, this is really about getting justice for the men killed on those planes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCHE, ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL: My message today is clear the United States and President Trump does not and will not forget its

citizens.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Let's go to our senior U.S. justice correspondent, Evan Perez, with more.

Obviously, there is the justice issue here. These families have been waiting for it for decades, haven't they? But there's also the issue of the

timing.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Right, exactly.

Max, one of the comments that that the acting attorney general made at that event in Miami was that the U.S. government expects that Raul Castro will

face justice, will come and face a court in Miami, either on his own volition or through some other means. And so that obviously got a big

response in that room there in Freedom Tower in downtown Miami. That's the building, of course, symbolic place, because that's the building where

Cuban refugees were processed many decades ago when they -- when they came to the United States.

And so, that's the -- that was the setting for this event, which was also like a memorial service to honor the men who were killed. And the reason

why I'm focusing on that is because people inside the Trump administration make no bones about, you know, the idea that this these charges could serve

as a precursor, certainly as a way for the president of the United States to have an option to go in to Cuba and take Raul Castro like they did with

Nicolas Maduro back in January and bring him to face justice in a federal court in the United States.

[15:30:22]

Now, of course, things are a lot different since that Venezuela operation. Obviously, the element of surprise is gone. And then, of course, since

then, the president of the United States has also launched a war in Iran, which has not gone as planned. And so I'm not sure whether getting into

another military operation in Cuba is exactly what anybody has in mind at the moment. But certainly, the fact that this -- that this indictment now

exists makes that an option for the president of the United States if he chooses to take it.

Now, as we can imagine, a lot of this is about the optics and about the options that it gives the United States government, the leverage that they

can have over the Cuban government because they've been pressuring them not only with tightening the embargo. Basically blockading the island from

receiving fuel, but also trying to put additional pressure for the Cuban government to change its ways, not only about the economics of the island,

but also its political system.

The Cuban government, of course, has rejected all of this. And today they responded in kind, saying that this is really just about trying to pressure

the Cuban people. So, we don't know what happens next, Max. We know these charges, if you read them, there's very little new information in here, but

it certainly serves a purpose for the Trump administration as part of their broader Cuban policy.

FOSTER: Okay, Evan. Thank you.

Now, the pressure on the Cuban government isn't just coming from U.S. courts. U.S. Secretary of State Marco rubio released a message to the Cuban

people on Wednesday. Rubio, whose parents were Cuban immigrants, spoke in Spanish in that message. And he said the only thing keeping Cuba from a

bright future is the leadership in Havana.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE (translated): The real reason you don't have electricity fuel or food is because those who control your

country have plundered billions of dollars, but nothing has been used to help the people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: This time of extreme tensions, CNN's Carolina Peguero spoke to the exiled daughter of Fidel Castro, Raul's brother and predecessor. She asked

her about the possibility of a military clash between the two countries

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROLINA PEGUERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Inside a modest Miami home far from Havana and far from power.

PEGUERO: This is your home sweet home.

ALINA FERNANDEZ, FIDEL CASTRO'S DAUGHTER: Yes, this is my humble abode.

PEGUERO (voice-over): Alina Fernndez, daughter of Cuba's Fidel Castro, is opening a deeply personal window into a complicated legacy. She greets us

with coffee.

FERNANDEZ: This is a daily habit, yes. This is home.

PEGUERO: Yes.

FERNANDEZ: For the Cubans, it's just -- you cannot wake up or start the day without coffee.

PEGUERO (voice-over): Family photos.

FERNANDEZ: This is my sister. This is my little caricature.

PEGUERO: So, you drew Fidel?

FERNANDEZ: Yeah.

PEGUERO: Did he ever see these pictures?

FERNANDEZ: I don't know. I assume, maybe.

PEGUERO: So this is your mother?

FERNANDEZ: This is my mother. I think she passed speaking about him.

PEGUERO: And who's him?

FERNANDEZ: About Fidel Castro. I think she lasted in love for as long as she lived, which for me is very difficult to understand.

PEGUERO (voice-over): But as the coffee cools, stories about family memories slowly shift to politics and an uncertain future for Cuba, as

relations with the U.S. reach a near breaking point. With renewed pressure from President Donald Trump and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel warning

of a bloodbath should the U.S. attempt to attack the island.

PEGUERO: Do you see an invasion of the U.S. in Cuba territory?

FERNANDEZ: I think that at this point, it depends on the Cubans, which is very worrisome.

PEGUERO: And why does that worry you? What do you feel will be --

FERNANDEZ: Who can -- who can desire or want an invasion for his country? As easy as it is to say it sitting here?

PEGUERO (voice-over): She says decades of sanctions and confrontation have hardened Cubas leadership, creating a government she believes has learned

to survive under pressure and respond when challenged.

FERNANDEZ: This is not the first time they are told that an invasion is coming immediately. We've been under invasion for the last 67 years, or the

threat of an invasion. I'm sure they are prepared. I will remind everybody that the capacity for reaction of the Cuban regime shouldn't be undermined

and underestimated.

[15:35:03]

That can make the difference between a bloodbath and something else.

PEGUERO (voice-over): We asked Alina if she had a message for her Uncle Raul, Fidel's brother, right hand man and former Cuban president.

FERNANDEZ: I don't have any specific message for Raul Castro. There is nothing I can, you know, elaborate to tell him. I assume he knows. Being

almost 95 years old, what to do and what has he done?

PEGUERO (voice-over): Alina believes Cuba will not cave to U.S. pressure. Yet she is short of saying an invasion is the only way to free the island

from the revolution her father once led.

FERNANDEZ: I feel like every other Cuban this times -- hopeful, frustrated, sad, hopeful again. Hope prevails.

PEGUERO (voice-over): Carolina Peguero, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now, the final moments of trade on Wall Street stocks are rising amid cautious optimism for a deal between the U.S. and Iran. The Dow is up

as the world's most valuable company. Nvidia prepares to report its earnings after the closing bell.

This is our Business Breakout.

The United Kingdom is easing some restrictions on Russian oil to try to help with potential shortages. Whilst the Strait of Hormuz is closed. U.K.

will allow imports of diesel and jet fuel that use Russian crude so long as they are processed in other countries. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer

says the move will be temporary.

Target has posted its best sales numbers in four years. The retailer said the sales grew more than 5 percent in its latest quarter, and has raised

its guidance for the year as a whole. Retail sales in the United States have risen for the past three months now.

James Murdoch is adding to his own media empire. The son of Rupert Murdoch is buying "New York Magazine" and most of Vox Media. James is widely seen

as having more moderate political views than his father. He also has stakes in the Tribeca Film Festival and an Indian production company.

In Spain, the son of the founder of fashion brand Mango is out on bail after being arrested in connection with his father's death. Jonathan

Andic's bail was set at more than $1 million. His father, billionaire Isak Andic, died after falling from a cliff whilst hiking near Barcelona. Police

say his death is being investigated as a possible homicide, and his family say they are confident about Jonathan's innocence.

Anna Cooban is following the story for us.

It's talk about who he was with at the time I understand, Anna.

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTER: Yes. Well, father and son, Max, they were hiking together at the time of Isak Andic's death. And so,

what we're now seeing is that Spanish authorities are looking very closely at this case and are investigating it as a possible homicide. Now, what

Jonathan Andic has had to do, he's had to surrender his passport. He is now paid 1 million worth of bail. The conditions of that, that he has to

surrender his passport. He can't leave the country. He has to attend court once a week.

And you know, this is and needs to be emphasized. The family have released a statement saying that they believe that he is innocent. But this is a

huge case globally in the global fashion industry, but also in Spain. This is a family that owns the juggernaut, which is Mango, a business which, you

know, last year had sales of over $4.4 billion.

And it's a thriving business, but its family owned. And so however this case pans out, Max, there are questions potentially around the ownership of

this massive business.

FOSTER: Yeah. And also, the distraction of it, right? The effect on the brand because you say Mango and then you think of the family and you think

of this narrative

COOBAN: Yeah, it's a shocking case. You know, the way that Isak Andic died, he fell down a ravine over 320-foot ravine. It was initially thought

to be an accident, but now there are these accusations coming out from Spanish prosecutors, and we don't know too much about how this case is

going to pan out, but it will be closely watched, Max. You can be very sure of that.

FOSTER: Okay. Anna, thank you.

Still to come, from indicting Cuba's former president to creating a lawful -- lawfare fund, will speak to an -- to Ian Bremmer about the Justice

Department and how it's easing pressure on President Trump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:42:26]

FOSTER: Well, those tensions with Cuba or his own tax affairs, U.S. President Donald Trump is putting his Department of Justice to work. We've

already heard the indictment of the former Cuban president, Raul Castro, from Todd Blanche, the acting U.S. attorney general. Blanche, of course,

used to serve as Mr. Trump's personal attorney.

Around this time on Tuesday, Blanche revealed that U.S. tax authorities were officially barred from investigating Mr. Trump or his family over the

past tax issues that may occur. That's because the Justice Department has agreed to settle a lawsuit that Mr. Trump filed against the IRS. Democrats

have slammed the whole affair as corruption.

Joining me now, Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group.

Thanks as ever for joining us, Ian.

First of all, your response to this latest move for this investigation, this indictment accusing Raul Castro of murder? Is this just a precursor to

the similar play that we saw in Venezuela, do you think?

IAN BREMMER, PRESIDENT, EURASIA GROUP: Venezuela exactly. And it is ramping up pressure on the Cuban regime. It's radically different from Iran. Cuba

is under incredible economic predation. The U.S. has an effective boycott and blockade around them. And the political leaders are willing to talk.

And Trump wants to show that the consequences will be grave if they're not willing to open up their economy and do a, quote/unquote, deal with the

Trump administration.

The Department of Justice is being used as a component of that. But there's nothing unprecedented here compared to what we saw with the indictment of

Maduro and, of course, Maduro sitting leader, which matters in a sense more at the time. Cuba, it's going to be a little bit more challenging because

there is no real alternative domestically to the Castros. There was and is, as we've seen, an alternative to Maduro in Venezuela.

FOSTER: There's also the element of surprise that obviously was so effective in Venezuela. They won't have that this time.

BREMMER: Well, they won't, but they also don't really have military plans at this point in Cuba. So, I mean, I think that this is much more about the

fact that the economic impact on Cuba is truly devastating, and the Cuban government doesn't want that to persist.

So, I don't think you need to have, you know, you also in the run up in Venezuela, you had, you know, these bombing runs, blowing up ships and drug

runners and the rest. That's not happening with Cuba. Cuba is not providing, is not -- is not creating exporting instability to the United

States or countries around the world. The danger with Cuba is if things get much worse, that you could start seeing large amounts of refugees that

would flee and would flee to Miami and to Florida, which is very, very close.

That would be a big problem for Trump if it were to occur. So, you don't necessarily want to squeeze them too hard, but you want to show that you're

very serious in getting the Cuban government to agree with Trump.

FOSTER: Let's go to the tax story because a lot of people feel that's much more profound in terms of the Constitution with the Justice Department

effectively making way for, you know, no investigations into the past tax records for President Trump and his family, which isn't something that any

American normally benefits from.

BREMMER: Yeah. The fact that President Trump consistently believes that he and his family should be above the law and that there is a two tier system

of justice, and one tier applies to the little people, and another applies to people that are anointed by Trump and Trump himself. And that is -- the

U.S. has always had a problem with kleptocracy. It's always had a problem with the swamp that Trump promised he was going to drain, but it's gotten

far, far worse. It's gotten worse in terms of his personal enrichment, which we've seen the billions and billions that he's made through crypto

and otherwise.

It's getting worse in using his own attorney as running the Department of Justice. And doing his personal bidding. And now -- and putting himself

above the law, in terms of not being able to be audited or pursued for any misdeeds that he might have done. We don't have a king in the United

States. We have a president, an elected president, and the president is supposed to represent the people. It's not supposed to represent himself

above the people.

And Trump won and won twice because his supporters believed that he would implement that. He's implemented on many of his promises. He has indeed

moved away from free trade and towards tariffs. He has worked to secure the U.S. border with Mexico much more effectively than Biden had.

But in terms of putting himself above the people, in terms of throwing away rule of law, um, and acting as if the president is not accountable to the

voters, to Congress, to the judiciary, to anything at all, Trump has really broken a fundamental campaign promise. And this is one of the reasons why

he now has record low numbers, not just with Democrats, but with independents. And he's starting to take a beating with Republicans, too.

FOSTER: Yeah. We'll see what happens with the midterms. It's going to be fascinating, isn't it? But just before you go, Ian, I just wanted to ask

you about --

(CROSSTALK)

BREMMER: I mean.

FOSTER: Yeah.

BREMMER: Yeah.

FOSTER: I just want to ask you about Iran. I mean, where's the progress?

BREMMER: The Iranian military had -- is less capable than it was a couple months ago, 150 Iranian leaders have been killed. And that's about it. None

of the war goals that President Trump articulated at the beginning of the war have been fully met. And almost none of them have been even partially

met.

Plus, you've got this incredible economic damage that gets worse every day that the strait remains closed. Trump is very frustrated about this. It's

why he continues to search for someone to blame. And it's also why he's been looking for off ramps ever since he announced the ceasefire.

And now, six times he's threatened the Iranians with pretty foreboding or else. And the first five, he has backed down every single time. His

credibility, is lower with the Iranians, with the region and around the world. And ultimately, it's why he's also been thinking about going right

up to the line with, well, maybe I need to do more military because the Iranians won't give me what I want.

After he said that they were ready to capitulate, ready to surrender this. So far, I haven't seen anything from the Iranians that looks like

surrender.

FOSTER: Ian, really appreciate your thoughts on all those topics as ever. Thank you for joining us.

Turning now to the international efforts to contain the outbreak of Ebola in parts of Africa. The E.U. says it will send around 100 tons of medical

aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the number of suspected cases is rising. The E.U. says it will provide personal protective

equipment and emergency supplies to frontline workers in coordination with the U.N. The world health organization says there are around 600 suspected

infections in the DRC and Uganda, with 139 suspected deaths.

[15:50:07]

The WHO says the Ebola outbreak likely began a couple of months ago, meaning the virus was circulating well before the current epidemic was

detected. The WHO says it is investigating exactly when and where the outbreak began, and says people shouldn't rush to blame any one country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: So, it's very complex and it's very difficult to follow a simplistic

approach and say, blame this or that. It's very difficult. But as far as we know, the country has capacity. They are trying their best and they will do

their best. But it's very important to understand the complexity. And before we conclude, bring all the factors, you know, into some kind of

understanding of the complexity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Now it's a celebration 22 years in the making. Still to come tonight from London to Africa, Arsenal fans celebrating that win.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Tennis great Rafael Nadal has opened up about his mental health challenges and struggles with injuries. He spoke to our Christiane Amanpour

ahead of the release of his new documentary, "Rafa", which is premiering on Netflix on May the 29th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Tell me about the level of anxiety and stress, having to go out, for instance, at one point

with a bottle of water the whole time, you know, and -- and how you work through that.

RAFAEL NADAL, 22-TIME TENNIS GRAND SLAM CHAMPION: Probably because I went through a lot of injuries, a lot of pressure, and I arrived a moment that,

in some way, you are not able to handle all of this.

And even if in my mind, I was able to handle all of this, a right point that your mind fails, you know. And that's what -- that's what happened.

So when -- OK. I always thought that I need to fix things for myself in terms of mental -- mental strength, you know. But a right moment that when

I was -- my feeling was, OK, I cannot go out on the street without a bottle of water on my hand.

[15:55:00]

So, yes, that's a big -- that's a big, big. So I need to find help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: More of that interview on "AMANPOUR" on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are back on top of the English Premier League, winning their first title. In case you hadn't heard in more than 20 years, the

gunners made it official after Manchester City's must win match at Bournemouth ended in a one-all draw. The news sparked celebrations across

London. With British prime minister and longtime Arsenal fan Keir Starmer writing online, "22 long years for the Arsenal. But finally, we're back

where we belong."

It's not just the north of London enjoying the win, though. Here's Arsenal fans in Ethiopia celebrating, too. Arsenal have a huge following across

Africa, with leaders across the continent sending their congratulations in Botswana. The government even had to address rumors of a nationwide

celebration. The government, posting a note on social media clarifying that a proclamation announcing a national holiday for local Arsenal fans was, in

fact, fake.

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

END

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