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What We Know with Max Foster

Tulsi Gabbard Resigning As U.S. Intelligence Chief; Kevin Warsh Sworn In As Chair Of U.S. Federal Reserve; Trump: Skipping Son's Wedding To Deal With Government Business; Ukraine: Scores Of Russians Killed In Recent Strikes; Trump: Will Send Additional 5,000 Troops To Poland; W.H.O. Raises Threat Level To "Very High" Across DRC; Epstein's Former Aide Gives Three New Names Of Alleged Abusers; Thousands Protest Outside U.S. Embassy In Havana. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired May 22, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:43]

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Another member of President Donald Trump's cabinet is quitting.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

After months of controversy and criticism, Tulsi Gabbard is now resigning as the top intelligence official in the U.S. Gabbard is stepping aside as

director of national intelligence, becoming the fourth woman in President Trump's cabinet to leave in just a few months. Her resignation comes at a

crucial time for the intelligence community, as the U.S. tries to end the Iran war. Gabbard said she is stepping down to be at her husbands side as

he battles bone cancer.

Its worth noting that critics have repeatedly accused her of not being transparent enough in her job, and of appearing fixated on proving false

claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.

Our Brian Todd is tracking this story for us.

Obviously getting headlines because it's been a run of women that have been leaving, and there has been criticism, Brian, of her role.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Max, a lot of criticism for various aspects of her role as director of national intelligence. Tulsi

Gabbard's resignation, she says, is effective on June 30th. So she's still got more than a month to serve in this role.

According to our colleagues, Kevin Liptak, Kaitlan Collins and Kristen Holmes, they cite a senior administration official as saying that over the

last few weeks, White House officials had heard rumors that Tulsi Gabbard was leaving, but that as of two weeks ago, she was denying that she was

leaving the White House. I'll read you portions of her resignation letter that she gave to President Trump just today. Here's one of them.

Quote, "My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer. He faces major challenges in the coming weeks and

months. At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle."

Another part of this says, quote, "His strength and love have sustained me throughout every -- through every challenge. I cannot in good conscience

ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time consuming position."

Now, as Max and I have been discussing, Gabbard's tenure here has been marked by controversy, especially messaging, which has been contradictory

to the Trump administration's messaging, especially regarding the war with Iran, and that has sidelined her and actually led to her being out of favor

at the White House at various times.

One key moment in this whole -- that whole swirl of controversy came about just after the war started in late February. At that time, Trump

administration officials were trying to justify the war, claiming that Iran was rebuilding its nuclear program and that Iran posed an imminent threat.

But only three weeks after the war started, Tulsi Gabbard faced the senate intelligence committee and painted a very different picture.

Here's a quote from what she said to the committee, "As a result of Operation Midnight Hammer," that was in June of 2025, "Iran's nuclear

enrichment program was obliterated, she said there has been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability," end quote.

That's what she testified to -- before the Senate Intelligence Committee just three weeks after the war began, almost completely contradicting the

administration's claims that Iran was building back its nuclear capability and did pose an imminent threat. She also, in that hearing, refused to say

that Iran posed an imminent threat, saying that only the president can determine that. At that time, one Democratic senator, Jon Ossoff of

Georgia, pointed out that's not true either, because the president is not the only person who can determine that. That is the job of the intelligence

community as well.

So, Max, her tenure marked by a lot of controversy also regarding her trip down to Georgia in January of this year, when she oversaw that operation to

raid some Georgia state government election records in the pursuit of Trump's false claim that the election was rigged in Georgia. A lot of

eyebrows raised in that trip, basically people criticizing her saying that was not the role of a director of national intelligence at that time.

Gabbard said that she went at the behest of President Trump. He said he didn't know anything about it. She then said -- President Trump said it was

then Attorney General Pam Bondi who asked her to go down. And then the message, the actual wording of who sent whom down to Georgia at that point

got very muddled with everybody pretty much denying that they had asked her to go -- Max.

FOSTER: Yeah, fascinating. Brian, thank you so much.

Now, Kevin Warsh taking over at the U.S. Central Bank at a pivotal moment for the American economy. He was sworn in earlier today as chair of the

Federal Reserve.

[15:05:01]

Warsh replaces Jerome Powell, who was attacked by President Donald Trump for not cutting interest rates fast enough. Warsh pledged to lead reforms

and learn from past mistakes amid rising inflation and concerns about the feds independence. Mr. Trump, meanwhile, promised to let him do his job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want Kevin to be totally independent. I want him to be independent and just do a great job. Don't

look at me. Don't look at anybody. Just do your own thing and do a great job, okay?

KEVIN WARSH, CHAIRMAN OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE: My goal now is to create an environment in which the best people can do their life's best work, and to

face every challenge in the spirit of common purpose and devotion to the national interest, in a word, to excellence. These duties are now mine, Mr.

President, because of the trust you have placed in me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Paula Newton is in New York.

Paula, really feel watching that press conference, that independence was the buzzword. Just explain that because there are concerns, aren't they?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, look, this is the dual mandate of the fed, right? You're supposed to keep inflation rates low. You're

supposed to keep Americans employed in so doing, though, there are a lot of caveats in between. I want to remind everyone that while this was very

clearly Donald Trump's man, remember that at one point in time, Jerome Powell was Donald Trump's man as well. And that happened during his first

term. And still, Donald Trump continued to interfere with that key word that you used, Max, is independence.

What people are waiting for now is to see how this tenure goes for Kevin Warsh, when he is under incredible strain, not just economically, but from

the Trump administration as well.

Look, I really want to underscore this. Kevin Warsh is a safe pair of hands. And that's not me saying this. This is people like the likes of

Christine Lagarde, Mark Carney, the prime minister of Canada, who led two central banks. If you look at the people in the room, he has many

supporters.

I want you to listen now to what he said will be his thoughts going in to this very big job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARSH: I will lead a reform-oriented Federal Reserve, learning from past successes and mistakes, both escaping static frameworks and models, and

upholding clear standards of integrity and performance. Today marks a return to an institution that I do, in fact, cherish.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: You know, when he talks about reform, I don't want to get too much in the weeds here, but he's talking about things like forward guidance,

what the Fed does and on its balance sheets, what goes on in the bond market. What is key here, though, is that that man, Max, was in the room

during the financial crisis, which you and I remember so well. When you look at what the world economy is doing right now and all the conflict --

look, we know that if the bond markets are skittish, if there continues to be even more of a financial crisis than we have on our hands right now,

depending on what's going on. Iran, he has been in the room. He knows how to handle this.

What is not known, though max is crucially here, is if he is not doing what Donald Trump believes is stimulative to the American economy, will Donald

Trump push back and will he continue to pressure this man, this new Fed chair that he's chosen really as doggedly as he pursued his pick, Jerome

Powell?

FOSTER: He's in position now. Paula, just take us through the challenges because were heading towards the midterms. Gas prices are on the way up.

Iran isn't resolved. There's all the to toing and froing of tariffs. Its' a really hard job, isn't it, for whoever's in this position.

NEWTON: Yeah. Let me give you some numbers, Max. I mean inflation here in this country is 3.9 percent. I just talked about the bond market, not in

great shape in the United States. When you talk about bonds, whether it's a long bond, a 10-year bond, a 30-year bond, guess what? It sounds like

financial news. No, it is pocketbook news for the United States and for Americans. It means they're paying so much for mortgages.

The housing market continues to be quite stagnant in this country. Then you have, as you said, the price of gas every day. This is Memorial Day

weekend. Americans go to the pump and see that theyre paying so much more for gas than they did just six months ago.

All of that is going to, you know, basically put a lot of pressure. And what's key here, Max, is that when Donald Trump first uttered Kevin Warsh

name, the bank was in an easing posture, right? That was their bias. They were giving the direction that they were going to let up on interest rates.

Well, guess what? Now everyone is saying that even for this next meeting of this Fed, they basically have to give a signal to the markets that they may

theyre either going to hold steady or they may even have one or two rate hikes, which is not going to make things any easier for Americans. A

necessary thing though, to do, though, if you want to get that inflation under control.

But you can bet that Donald Trump will be sitting there in the oval office thinking. And he said it in his speech. Can't we really have both together?

Can't we have low interest rates? Can't we have growth and cant we have inflation under control?

A lot of economists will tell you that's not possible. Apparently, President Trump still thinks it is.

FOSTER: Oh, wouldn't it be lovely. Paula, thank you so much.

NEWTON: I like Disney, too, by the way.

FOSTER: Now, with all of this going on, Donald Trump says he won't be attending his own son's wedding this weekend because he feels it's more

important to stay in Washington. In this post, Mr. Trump said, "While I very much wanted to be with my son, Don Jr., circumstances pertaining to

government and my love for the United States do not allow me to do so."

Don Jr. is marrying the former -- marrying the Florida socialite Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas this weekend. Sources say the guest list has been

kept deliberately small, and it's been long expected that the president wouldn't attend. But the president indicated on Thursday he would have

liked to go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Are you attending your son's wedding this weekend, by the way?

TRUMP: He'd like me to go, but it's going to be just a small little private affair, and I'm going to try and make it. I'm in the midst -- I said, you

know, this is not good timing for me. I have a thing called Iran and other things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: What we don't know is what is keeping Donald Trump from attending his son's wedding this weekend. Kevin Liptak is at the White House.

And, Kevin, I mean, it is intriguing, isn't it? Because there's something else that happened today. He was due to go to Bedminster, wasn't he, in

this weekend, in yesterday's schedule. That's been changed today. He's staying in the White House. It's got people thinking, you know, is

something going on this weekend?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right. I mean, there's always something going on when you're the president of the United States.

And I will just note, you know, Bedminster is a golf resort. It's supposed to rain all weekend in New Jersey. So it could potentially have had to do

with an absence of anything to do. And the president wanting to be back at the White House.

One place he doesn't seem to want to go is to the Bahamas for Don, Jr.'s wedding, which I think caught people by surprise somewhat. You know, I

think any person would want their own father at their wedding. You know, this is his second wedding. He's obviously well into adulthood. So perhaps

it's less significant than if he was getting married for the first time. And certainly the president would add a complicating layer to any ceremony.

You know, by all accounts, this is going to be a very small wedding. It's on a small island. It could be very difficult for some of the guests if

they had to contend with the security apparatus that follows the president everywhere he goes.

That all being said, these two do have something of a complex relationship. There was a period of time when Donald Trump, Jr. was a younger man, when

they were almost estranged. You know, he moved out west and they didn't speak for some time. Obviously, that has changed. Now, the two of them are

quite close.

The president, of course, the grandfather to a number of Donald Trump, Jr.'s children from his first marriage to a woman called Vanessa, who just

actually announced this week that she was battling cancer. So, you know, Donald Trump's family dynamics have always been quite complex. You know, he

has children with three different women. All of them have their own, you know, peculiar in some ways, relationships with their father. But by most

accounts, he is, at least in their telling, a very loving dad.

But at least for this weekend, the president won't be on hand to watch his son get married for the second time.

FOSTER: So in terms of the plan now for the weekend, as far as you are aware, it's a -- it's a normal working weekend because he won't be playing

golf with the rain.

LIPTAK: Right. Well, hell be back here at the White House. So if he did need to have important meetings, he could do them from here in the

Situation Room or in the Oval Office, although in the past he has had no problem with doing those from his facilities, whether it's Mar-a-Lago or

Bedminster. You know, he launched the entire Venezuela operation from Mar- a-Lago.

So the president doesn't seem like he has any issue being outside of Washington to contend with some serious issues. And so, we'll see what this

weekend brings. It is a holiday weekend in the United States Memorial Day on Monday, but the president doesn't have that office sort of a full day of

events to mark the commemoration.

And so, we'll see exactly what the president decides to get up to. He does have a golf course here, but most accounts show it raining all over the

eastern seaboard, so he may be cooped up inside, but it seems as if he'd rather be cooped up in the executive mansion than his golf course out in

the horse country of New Jersey.

FOSTER: It's bright sunshine in the U.K., so we've swapped the weather. Kevin, sorry about that. Kevin Liptak, thank you so much.

Ukraine, meanwhile, saying it's killed dozens of Russians in strikes on occupied regions this week. A Ukrainian commander says more than 60 people

were killed in a barrage of drone strikes on a Russian drone pilot training camp in Donetsk. The Ukrainian president says another set of strikes in the

Kherson region killed and wounded almost 100 Russians.

[15:15:03]

This as Moscow says at least six people were killed when drones targeted a college dormitory in Luhansk.

Joining me now is CNN military analyst, Colonel Cedric Leighton.

I mean, it's important that we keep following these movements on the ground in Ukraine. How would you sum up where we are, Cedric?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Max, I think where we are is that the Ukrainians have actually expanded their footprint within

Ukraine. So President Zelenskyy of Ukraine just mentioned on X that they had occupied about 590. I think it is square kilometers of land reoccupied

it from the Russians. So that indicates that there's certainly momentum, at least some momentum on the part of the Ukrainian ground forces.

And then you couple that with these kinds of strikes in occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as in Russia proper. And that really does

show that there are some significant strides that the Ukrainians are making. And what this really indicates to me, I think, is that these drone

strikes and missile strikes that are made with indigenous Ukrainian equipment, for the most part, really show that the way in which the

Ukrainians have been able to not only move their armaments industry forward, their defense industrial base forward, but they've also been able

to make those tactics work that are required to, at the very least, stop the Russian advances. And it seems like theyre beginning in at least some

sectors to roll back the Russian advances.

FOSTER: In terms of their resources -- obviously, theyre very concerned about America's other distractions. You've got Iran, of course, possibly

Cuba coming up. But Europe does seem to be stepping in with enough support for the Ukrainians to, you know, carry out actions like this.

LEIGHTON: Yeah. So I think that, you know, when you look at the Europeans and their efforts to move in the direction of supporting and providing more

support for the Ukrainians, that is a significantly positive development, and coupled with the ability of the Ukrainians not only to sustain the

fight, but to advance their positions, at least to some degree, that really paints a very different picture from the picture that we had a year ago, or

even a few months ago.

And I think in this situation, what you have is the ability, that ability of the Ukrainians has made it possible for the Europeans politically to

step in. Plus, they, of course, have the pressure from the United States being distracted, as you mentioned, by other things like Iran, like

potentially Cuba, like, you know, perhaps a few other things. That is something that is, I think, a big positive for the Ukrainian effort in the

sense that it is now able to turn and rely on the Europeans for the most part. And using that, plus their indigenous resources, that has allowed

them to at least survive this.

Now they are still -- there are still a lot of challenges. They have manpower challenges. They have areas where they really, you know, have some

weaknesses in terms of their air defenses, air and missile defenses. But those weaknesses are, you know, at least manageable. And they can survive a

lot of what the Russians are throwing at them, at least for the moment.

FOSTER: Stay with us, Cedric, I want to ask you about something else as well, because America's top diplomat has been meeting NATO allies, hasn't

he, in Sweden, after President Trump announced the U.S. will send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland. That's an apparent reversal, though, of

recent moves to reduce the American military presence in Europe.

The U.S. secretary of state says it's all part of an ongoing process.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: What's happening now is that any decision that's announced or made is viewed through the broader context of

some of the, you know, the frictions that we've had in recent months. But at the end of the day, I think it's well understood in the alliance that

the United States troop presence in Europe is going to be adjusted, that that work was already ongoing. And it's been done in coordination with our

allies. I'm not saying theyre going to be thrilled about it, but they certainly are aware of it.

And, you know, we have obligations in the Indo-Pacific. We have obligations in the Middle East. We have obligations in the Western hemisphere. So this

has been an ongoing process. Its not -- it shouldn't be a surprise to anybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Let's bring in, Cedric again.

I mean, it is a surprise, isn't it? Because I think it was -- was it last week where Pete Hegseth was talking about canceling a deployment of 4,000

troops to Poland? Now they're actually sending more. I mean, what's going on?

LEIGHTON: Yeah. Basically, the U.S. is backtracking, Max, to put it in stark terms. I -- the Hegseth decision was a huge mistake, diplomatically,

militarily. And it was something that the Trump administration really had to reverse. The Poles have been an incredible ally of the United States and

an incredible member of NATO. Their defense budget exceeds 4 percent of GDP.

[15:20:01]

They're well on their way to meeting the 5 percent goal.

And in the situations that we have here, the last country that you want to put on the back burner would be a frontline state like Poland. That also

goes, of course, for the Baltic States and other eastern European countries.

So when you look at this, what the United States really had to do was reverse that decision. What the administration, the Trump administration

wanted to do was punish the Germans for Chancellor Merz's basic call that said that the United States was being humiliated by the Iranians. Merz is

correct. There is -- you know, the Iranians are pretty adept at their diplomatic dance.

But, the key thing here is that Europe is a -- an entity that needs to be protected. We have obligations with NATO, and it's really time that the

administration here recognize that fact. And at least the step in the right direction here with the redeployment of Polish -- of U.S. troops to Poland.

That is something that I think Poland will ultimately welcome, but also sends, you know, a bit of a muddled, but still a bit of a signal to the

Russians that the U.S. is not leaving, at least that country and perhaps other countries in Europe as well.

FOSTER: Colonel Cedric Leighton as ever, really love having you on the show, explaining all of those very broad issues. Thank you.

Now there is growing unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo as Ebola continues to spread. The World Health Organization is raising the threat

level from the virus to very high in the DRC. At least 177 deaths are now thought to be linked to the disease, while about another 750 cases are

suspected.

On Thursday, protesters set fire to an Ebola treatment center demanding the return of a body. The WHO warning that misinformation in local communities

is hurting the response.

Larry Madowo has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tensions ran high at this hospital treating Ebola patients in the eastern Democratic Republic of

Congo. This local politician was on the scene

LUC MALEMBE, CONGOLESE POLITICIAN (through translator): I'm at Rwampara Hospital. We're locked down here. Look at the protesters. They're angry.

They're setting fire to the tents of Ebola patients because they want to forcibly retrieve the bodies.

MADOWO (voice-over): Residents grew angry after health authorities refused to hand over the body of a young man who died from Ebola, this father says.

LEOPOLD KATABUKA, WAMPARA RESIDENT (through translator): We came to bury my son, and then we saw these people coming in numbers, asking for the body of

someone called Elie. They started throwing stones and set fire to the tents, and my son's body was left burned there. I don't know what to do.

MADOWO (voice-over): Police were quickly called in to control the scene after protesters set fire to tents, where patients suspected to have Ebola

were being isolated, according to eyewitness accounts.

And while health workers have been working hard to fight off the virus, a second battle has also been underway, the fight against disinformation.

MALEMBE (through translator): This lack of communication, this absence of communication from the health authorities in the province is what allowed

rumors to take over, and it is what continues to this day.

MADOWO (voice-over): The key tension seems to lie between the sanitary protocols put in place by authorities and the wishes of the local community

to uphold traditional burial rites.

MADOWO: The community wants to bury the dead with dignity, but Ebola often spreads at funerals. It's still under investigation, but even this current

outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is believed to stem from a super-spreader event, a funeral on May 5th. That's because some people

touched the corpse of the dead. As a fan of farewell, the fluids from the body of Ebola patients are still infectious, and that's why authorities in

Ituri, the epicenter of this outbreak, have now said all funerals have to be carried out with strict protocols, and they've banned all wakes.

In the region's capital, residents have been calling on their neighbors to take the virus more seriously.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Yes, the message I would like to convey now to those listening to me right now, we are in the town of Bunia,

and this affects us too. We feel it. So what I tell people, wherever they are, is to know that they have to protect their families, to protect those

close to them. Because if I become infected, that means my family is infected, too.

MADOWO (voice-over): The World Health Organization also raised the alarm once again on Friday.

DR. TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, W.H.O. DIRECTOR-GENERAL: We are now revising our risk assessment to very high at the national level, high at

the regional level and low at global level.

MADOWO (voice-over): The W.H.O. warning that a potential vaccine may still be as far as nine months away.

[15:25:00]

News that is sure to deal another blow to communities struggling to come to terms with so much loss already.

Larry Madowo, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Coming up, three new names. A former assistant to Jeffrey Epstein identifies more alleged abusers. Details when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: In the U.S., there are three new names not made public yet of alleged abusers linked to Jeffrey Epstein. The convicted offender's

longtime assistant provided those names to the House Oversight Committee. Sarah Kellen also says she was a victim of Epstein's abuse. Her closed door

testimony is being called a promising lead in the ongoing investigation to reveal the full extent of Epstein's network.

Committee Chair James Comer says he expects the three names to be released soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): Of all the people that we've interviewed thus far, this was by far the most substantive and productive interview that we've

had. She gave us three names of people that were involved in abuse. These were new names for us. So we'll be releasing the transcript as quickly as

possible.

REPORTER: Can you share the names of those abusers?

COMER: We'll get them as quickly as possible. And it's still going on. So I don't want to do that. But you'll find out very soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Joining us is victims rights attorney, Gloria Allred, who represents more than 20 of Jeffrey Epstein's survivors.

Thank you, as ever for joining us, Gloria.

I mean, this is a big moment, isn't it, because you've been campaigning so long to get those names out there. You know, most of the world doesn't

actually know who they are.

GLORIA ALLRED, VICTIMS RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Well, exactly. And again, the main goal of the survivors, as mentioned by them, has been truth, transparency,

and justice.

[15:30:02]

And so this is important. Also, the public has wanted to know who else in addition to Ms. Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein may have engaged in sex

trafficking and sexual abuse of not only children, but also, some female adults. So you're right. This is the first time we're going to hear other

names. We're looking forward to the transcript. Just, I think within the last hour or two, a name one of those names has been made public, but not

by the oversight committee. So I don't want to say who it is.

I want to see the transcript. But the name that is being reported right now, one of them is a former Florida, political person.

Having said that, and the reports are that she's alleging that she was assaulted, sexually assaulted by that person. Let's assume for purposes of

discussion, Max, only for that, that that is true, and that she's releasing that name. The next question will be, will there be a prosecution of that

person? Would she be willing to testify under oath to that person? Will the Department of Justice feel that she is credible enough to bring a

prosecution of that person? Because sexual assault is a criminal act?

She is alleging that she was a victim of Jeffrey Epstein and that she admits that she did recruit other girls, and young women to Jeffrey

Epstein. But she alleges that that's because she was also a victim. She has been sued previously, Max, in a lawsuit, you know, alleging that she was a

codefendant in a lawsuit, conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein. We don't know what happened to that lawsuit. We don't know if that's true, but the point

is that, you know, she's being treated as a victim, not as a coconspirator by the committee.

We'll have to see what happens when we see the other names. Also, all three names released, allegedly, the other two are of celebrities. And we don't

know whether there's an allegation that they committed criminal acts or that they had some kind of consensual sex. We don't know what happened yet.

FOSTER: Thank you for not naming that person, and well wait for it to come out officially, of course, but --

ALLRED: Yes.

FOSTER: --you know, you know the full list, don't you? I mean, you've got a pretty good idea. And there are, you know, some blockbuster names in there.

Is this the beginning of a process for you to get all of those names out there?

ALLRED: Well, I can't say that I know the, you know, the three names she's going to release because I don't represent her, because I have chosen not

to represent anyone who has also helped to recruit, even if that person alleges that she's also a victim of Jeffrey Epstein, if she has helped to

recruit others. I have declined representation of some of those individuals who have contacted me simply because that's not a judgment on them, but

simply because I know that it would upset some of the survivors that I do represent, who may have been recruited themselves and who were recruited

themselves.

So, having said that, it'll be interesting to see what happens here. I do know certain names of those who have, you know, sexually abused, some of my

clients, let's put it that way, other than Jeffrey Epstein. But I can't reveal those names.

FOSTER: Well, it'd be interesting to see their responses as well. There must be some sort of evidence for them to feel confident to come out with

those names.

Can I just ask you separately? I'm sure you've seen this latest update on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor that the British police are now looking into

sexual allegations. They don't yet -- it's interesting because they theyre looking at misuse of his office. And that does. Now we understand, stretch

into, you know, sexual abuse as well.

And they seem to have identified a woman linked to a 2010 allegation in Windsor. They've reached out to her lawyer, but she's not currently

cooperating with that investigation. I mean, what do you make of that? And what does that say to you? And just explain the complexities involved for

her to actually become a witness?

ALLRED: Yes. Max, I'm glad that you brought that up. It is interesting because there is an allegation that this person, this individual woman whom

you have just mentioned, is a non-British person who allegedly was sent to -- sent by Jeffrey Epstein to then Prince Andrew for sexual purposes, in

Windsor at royal lodge.

[15:35:24]

Now, we don't know if that's true. And, the Thames police are indicating that they have spoken to the attorney for that woman. And, I don't see that

they have spoken to the woman herself, but just to her legal representative. And it appears that theyre indicating to that woman that

she can be anonymous because that is the law in the U.K. for victims if they -- if she was willing to speak with them.

It doesn't appear at this point she is willing to speak to them for whatever reason she has. It's understandable that a survivor of anyone may

be reluctant in a very high profile case to even trust law enforcement. So we'll have to wait and see what happens there. But, I'm glad the Thames

police said that theyre also looking at any potential sexual misconduct. They're not just looking at allegations of crimes against the state, but

if, you know, Andrew, formerly known as prince, was -- he was an -- a trade envoy representing the U.K.

And if during his public office duties, or appointment, he committed any sexual misconduct, then theyre interested in knowing that and saying that

publicly may or may not bring others forward to make allegations against him.

My question is, what is sexual misconduct? Does it have to be a crime? Or not?

And if so, what kind of crime does it have to be? Or what if there's sexual conduct that is consensual? Is that included as well? That wouldn't be a

crime or but maybe it would be considered inappropriate, and something to be further investigated by the police. So there's still a lot of questions,

not enough answers.

FOSTER: Yeah. Okay. Gloria, I really appreciate you joining us. We should say that Andrew has denied all wrongdoing. The police didn't name the

address actually in Windsor, and he hasn't been charged.

Gloria, thank you.

ALLRED: Yes. Thank you, Max.

FOSTER: Still to come, an update -- an update on the breaking news from Washington. Why President Donald Trump's director of national intelligence

is resigning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:41:12]

FOSTER: More now on the breaking news out of Washington. President Donald Trump's director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is resigning. In a

letter posted online, Gabbard says she's leaving to support her husband as he battles bone cancer.

CNN's senior national security analyst Juliette Kayyem joins us now for more on this.

I mean, we discussed the politics of this earlier in the show, Juliette. But what does this mean for U.S. national security?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, it's interesting. It -- her presence at ODNI is not that significant. The CIA

director, John Ratcliffe, has really taken on the leadership role with the White House in terms of, sort of being the lead voice. He was just recently

in Cuba. He's been around more. She has had problems with Trump. She's been on the outside on a variety of efforts, including, you know, her long

standing criticism of any effort in Iran.

So, the fact she's gone, I want to be very careful here. Two things can be true. One is the White House wanted her out and that she is getting out

because of her husband's tragic health condition right now. And I think that's the general sense coming out of people I've spoken to. Certainly,

"Reuters" is reporting that the White House wanted her out. And I think I just think two things can be true. Her replacement is a long term

intelligence officer, very professional. He wont last long as I think the president will likely have a much greater ally that he wants to put in that

position. But really, if you want to know what's going on with intelligence in this White House, you really have to look to the CIA director, John

Ratcliffe.

FOSTER: We haven't heard any suggestion, which is interesting about who's going to replace her. But from what you're hearing from the industry and

what you're seeing in politics, which way do you think Trump might go?

KAYYEM: I think it will be. I think it will. I think well hear John Ratcliffe's name out there. There might be formers that Trump will turn to

a former congressman or senators that he may turn to. He's not going to risk anyone in the House or Senate right now, given how close things are in

both of those -- in both -- in both the house and congress.

So I think he'll probably do it internally. That means just for the mechanics of this that they'll get a new CIA director and that Ratcliffe

will oversee, all of the intelligence agencies and therefore have a heavy hand over what the president is receiving about Iran, because we do know

that lots of intelligence did warn the president about the consequences of Iran.

But of course, looking to Cuba, Cuba is, I believe in my -- in my expert analysis of what White House do, that it is much more likely than not that

there will be some military activity in Cuba weeks ahead. And for someone like me who worries about consequences, for example, you're not seeing any

intelligence about what would be the consequences of that, including a mass migration by Cubans desperate to leave, who will come to the shores of the

U.S.? The White House does not talk about day two consequences.

FOSTER: Okay, Juliette. Appreciate it. Fascinating day there.

KAYYEM: Thank you.

FOSTER: Now it is the final minutes of trade on Wall Street. And stocks are heading for fresh all time highs. The Dow closed above 50,000 on Thursday,

and it's heading for another record finish today.

This is your Business Breakout.

SpaceX is hoping to launch a new, more powerful version of its Starship megarocket in just a few hours. The launch, which was originally scheduled

for Thursday.

[15:45:02]

It comes just days after SpaceX announced plans to go public. The new version of the Starship is taller, with more powerful engines.

One of the runways at New York's LaGuardia Airport will stay closed until Saturday as engineers work on a sinkhole that was discovered on Wednesday.

Workers initially hoped to reopen the runway on Thursday, but other potential problems were then detected. Delays will extend into the Memorial

Day weekend.

The CEO of Standard Chartered Bank has apologized after telling an investor conference that automation could replace, quote, "lower value human

capital". Bill Winters says he's sorry that his choice of words caused upset, and that he values all of his colleagues.

Still to come -- thousands gathering outside the U.S. embassy in Cuba. We'll explain why the Cuban government says the U.S. is trying to incite

military aggression.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Breaking news just into CNN. The criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia have been dismissed by a federal judge. Abrego Garcia's case

became notorious when he was deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration, despite a judge saying he could not be removed from the

United States. Upon his return to the U.S. last year, he was charged with allegedly transporting unlawful immigrants. Now, a judge in Tennessee has

dismissed those charges, saying they would not have been brought were it not for his legal fight with the government. Judge Waverly Crenshaw called

it an abuse of prosecuting power.

Now, thousands turned out in Cuba to protest U.S. pressure against the country and to support the island's former leader, Raul Castro. This was

the scene outside the U.S. embassy in Havana. Cuba's foreign minister is accusing the U.S. of trying to incite military aggression, and earlier this

week, the U.S. indicted Castro on charges including murder.

CNN's Havana bureau chief Patrick Oppmann is in Cuba with the latest on the tensions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: So the location for this demonstration the Cuban government has put on could not be more telling.

We're in front of the U.S. embassy in Havana. We've heard officials outraged that Raul Castro is now facing federal charges in a Miami

courtroom. They say they will never turn him over, that he's not going anywhere.

You hear people who are supporters of the government, of course, come out here that Raul Castro was like a family member to them. They say he's like

a grandfather.

MARIELA CASTRO, DAUGHTER OF RAUL CASTRO (through translator): No one will capture him, I can assure you. Not him, not anyone. Here, we are ready to

fight imperialism. We are a small, poor country, but with combat experience against the U.S. imperialism.

OPPMANN: Of course, this is very, very serious. The Trump administration is raising the stakes here by charging Raul Castro. The Cubans you talked to

say they're very concerned that the next step could be some sort of military attack, like we saw in Venezuela, that now the U.S. has some kind

of legal veneer to take action against Cuba. And that would be incredibly disruptive for an island where the electricity is now off most of the time,

most days.

And so, people are suffering under the consequences of their governments economic choices. And the energy blockade that the U.S. has put on this

island. So increasingly, despite the government's defiance in the face of U.S. action, you do hear Cubans who say they are worried that were not

getting any closer to a deal between Cuba and the U.S., and the next step could be some kind of military intervention.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Pope Leo is set to inaugurate and bless the new tower of Jesus Christ in Barcelona, Spain. The pope will celebrate mass at the Sagrada

Familia Basilica on June the 10th. The ceremony marks the 100th anniversary of the death of its architect, Antoni Gaudi.

Now, the construction of what is now the tallest church in the world began in 1882. Gaudi worked on his defining project until he died in 1926.

It's now officially confirmed the Pep Guardiola era at Manchester City will now come to an end. After 10 years and 17 major trophies, including six

Premier League titles and this year's FA Cup. The 55-year-old's final match in charge will be against Aston Villa at the weekend. The news comes just

three days after the club were beaten to this year's Premier League title by Arsenal.

[15:55:00]

And finally, the World Cup is just weeks away and teams such as France, Scotland and Brazil have announced who has made it to the squad, but for

England, it's just as much about who isn't in the team as who is. Those who didn't make the cut include Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Harry Maguire. Those

who made it include Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice.

Manager Thomas Tuchel explained his decision on ESPN U.K.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS TUCHEL, MANAGER, ENGLAND MEN'S NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM: I can assure every fan in the country that we have 26, 100 percent committed players in

camp with us who know their role, who are ready to buy into their role on and off the pitch and who are ready and committed to the idea of team

spirit and being unselfish.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW.

Do stay with CNN. We'll have more after the break

END

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