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What We Know with Max Foster

Trump Urges Mideast Countries To Sign Abraham Accords; IDF: Israel Launches airstrikes In Lebanon; Russia Asks Foreign Nationals, Diplomats To Leave Kyiv; Two Suspected Cases In Italy Test Negative For Ebola; Pope Leo's Stark Warning About Warfare And A.I. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired May 25, 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: Last minute demands, as the U.S. and Iran work towards a deal to end the conflict.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

U.S. President Donald Trump is calling on Arab nations to sign the Abraham Accords, normalizing diplomatic relations with Israel. If and when a deal

is reached to end the war. Now, the president says he discussed the issue with leaders of Gulf States. A source tells CNN he did not raise it as a

condition of an agreement with the Iranians. Mr. Trump claims negotiations with Tehran are proceeding nicely, but Iran says that right now it's not

willing to talk about its nuclear program, a major obstacle to an agreement.

Complicating matters even more, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is vowing to ramp up attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Shia fighters are

one of Iran's main allies here.

CNN politics senior reporter Stephen Collinson is with us now.

I mean, it was an extraordinary moment to hear that the Abraham Accords could potentially be signed by all of these nations. Just take us through

what they are and why it's so sensitive.

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah, the Abraham Accords were an agreement between four Arab nations, including Morocco, for

example, and Israel, to normalize ties in the first Trump term. It was considered one of his legacy foreign policy achievements. Trump has always

wanted to expand this across the Middle East, and it looked like that this war had so roiled the politics of the region that that would be impossible.

Then he came out with this truth social post, which followed a meeting with Arab leaders virtually over the weekend, which said that they should join

the Abraham accords after any peace deal. Now, I think this really does add to the confusion of the whole situation.

Practically, there's very little reason to think that the Arab states would, at this point, normalize relations with Israel. The Saudis, for

example, have made a path towards a Palestinian state, a condition of that. There's no chance that the Netanyahu government is going to do anything on

that soon. President Trump even said that Iran might join the accords, which seems, first of all, completely antithetical to everything Iran has

ever stood for in its opposition to Israel. And it seems very difficult to believe that Israel would want to do that kind of normalization agreement.

So, what's going on here? Either the United States is showing it's still ambitious to reform the Middle East and perhaps doesn't realize the extent

to which this war has denuded its influence. Or there are some politics going on here. Some people believe in Washington that the president is

trying to entice the Israelis to think that this unpopular deal with Iran could come with benefits down the line for the Israeli people. And I think

there's also an extent to which the president is using this to try to damp down some opposition that he faced over the weekend from hawkish Republican

senators, who are very worried that he's about to cave into Iran and give away the shop without getting any concessions on the nuclear deal.

FOSTER: Yeah. So is that still the sticking point here? Because there was some motivation, wasn't there over the weekend or some impetus, it seemed

behind all of this, but it still comes down to whether or not Iran can keep its nuclear program.

COLLINSON: Yeah. And I think skepticism is warranted because the president has spoken multiple times. He's told us that a deal is within reach, that

Iran has agreed to stand down all of its nuclear aspirations. None of that has proven to be true.

And while there does seem to be more genuine diplomatic activity this time, and perhaps some language could, be put together to at least allow Iran and

the United States to agree to talks about talks down the line. That is something that's going to be seen very skeptically in Washington, because I

think there is a realization among many people here that Iran believes it's got a lot of leverage, and it doesn't have to give in to the United States.

And after all, what the United States is currently apparently negotiating is the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before this war

started and has emerged as a new point of Iranian leadership. So, great skepticism here in Washington, about this. And I think really, it just gets

to this whole, confusion about what is actually going to take place.

[15:05:02]

And the real question in the U.S. Capitol right now is, is the United States going to come out of this war in any better shape as regards Iran

and its nuclear program than it went into it? And that doesn't seem to be a very easy question to answer right now.

FOSTER: Stephen, appreciate it. Thank you.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military has launched air strikes against what it calls Hezbollah infrastructure sites across Lebanon. That is according to

the IDF. These are live pictures now from Beirut for you.

Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv.

What are you hearing, Jeremy?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. That's right. These air strikes appear to be the beginning of an intensification of Israeli

military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Hezbollah, of course, is the Iranian proxy group in Lebanon for which Israel technically has a ceasefire with and has had one for the last month

and a half or so, one that is guaranteed by the Lebanese government. But what we have seen over the course of that cease fire have been daily

Israeli strikes in Lebanon and near daily Hezbollah attacks against Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, as well as against Israel's northern

communities.

And as the threat of Hezbollah's drone attacks in particular has ramped up with strikes on residential building in northern Israel just today, it

appears that that is part of the impetus for this ramped up posture from the Israeli military. In fact, the Israeli prime minister cited that drone

threat tonight in a new video in which he says that Israel is not going to take our foot off the gas pedal. On the contrary, he says, we need to push

the gas pedal even harder. And he says explicitly, we will strike them.

The Israeli prime minister also saying in this video that Israel will intensify the blows to increase the force and will strike them decisively.

This, coming as an Israeli source, is telling us that Israel is indeed preparing to expand its operations in Lebanon in the near term to target

Hezbollah's drone infrastructure and also potentially to renew operations in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

This is all very significant, of course, because of the fact that this comes amid these negotiations for a potential a memorandum of understanding

between the United States and Iran to end this war all one that would also be contingent on a cease fire in Lebanon as well, at least from the Iranian

perspective. But we've heard the Israeli prime minister this weekend, following his conversation with President Trump, insisting that President

Trump guaranteed effectively Israel's freedom of action on all fronts, including in Lebanon, wherever Israel sees a threat.

So the bottom line is that Israel is, in the near term, trying to intensify its operations against Hezbollah in the longer term, clearly still wants to

maintain a freedom to carry out strikes against Hezbollah as it sees fit. And that may not sit well in Tehran -- Max.

FOSTER: Is the issue, this capability that Hezbollah seems to have with drones, particularly, which is apparent right now?

DIAMOND: Yeah, the Hezbollah is doing, you know, a lot of what we've been seeing in Ukraine, frankly, for the last couple of years, which is

Hezbollah is using these fiber optic drones that are much, much harder for the Israeli military to intercept. Frankly, the Israeli military doesn't

have the capabilities that have been deployed in Ukraine to intercept and deter those drones.

We saw just last week that the Israeli military announced that they plan to deploy a lot of that kind of wire mesh wire netting that you see in

Ukraine. Now, they plan to deploy some of that in southern Lebanon to try and protect their troops. But for the moment, it remains a very assiduous

threat, one that has killed multiple Israeli soldiers over the course of the last few weeks. And we saw today a drone impacting a residential

building in northern Israel, just across the border from Lebanon.

FOSTER: Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Now, new developments in Russia's war against Ukraine. Moscow is asking foreign nationals and diplomats to leave Kyiv. Russia says it's preparing

what it calls systemic strikes on the Ukrainian capital.

Now this comes as rescue crews scramble to help victims of one of Russia's biggest air strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding region since Moscow's full

scale invasion began. We are hearing that at least four people have been killed, 87 wounded in the massive weekend bombardment. Russia unleashed a

hypersonic ballistic missile. That's nearly impossible for Ukraine to stop, as we hear from the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLHA STEFANISHYNA, UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: It was not only one of the most brutal attacks to Ukrainian cities, it also has been attacked

with the unprecedented amount of ballistics used.

[15:10:04]

And this is done exactly because Russians are count on the further shortages in ammunition we would face because of the operation in Iran. And

they know very well, you know, some of the elements of the air defense, which are unsubstituteable with any other means than that. And I think we

should really have it in mind and taken into account that basically these are not only the attacks on the Ukrainian cities, but this is also the

clear element where Russians benefit from the war and Iran. You know, they understand that they are able to distract the capabilities of the global

coalition, you know?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, the Ukrainian president says the Russians or the Russian leaders are, quote, "really out of their minds".

CNN's Sebastian Shukla has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A devastating night for the residents of Ukraine's capital as Moscow launched one of the largest attacks the city

has ever seen, 600 drones and 90 missiles, including the highly kinetic and powerful Oreshnik missile, one of the deadliest in Russia's arsenal, was

launched at the city. This attack appeared to be a retaliation strike ordered by President Putin that called on his generals to come up with an

attack plan following a Ukrainian attack on that Moscow claimed struck a college dormitory, killing 18 people. Moscow called that attack a terrorist

incident, but last night's attack left at least four people dead and 60 people injured, according to Ukrainian officials, with the focus being of

this attack on the capital city.

The brutal nature of these attacks was also captured by CNN's teams on the ground, which speaks to the brutality of the attack with plumes of smoke

visible across the city from various different vantage points, terrifying the city's residents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I was so scared, honestly, I thought it was my last day. The building shook, my windows were blown out,

and only then I started running away. I reached the bathroom to hide myself, at least there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The bathroom is intact, but every other room was destroyed. The windows were blown out together with their

frames. If I had stayed in the bedroom, I could have been crushed just like that.

I tried to get out. The doors were blown into the staircase. I had to climb over them. And then I saw the second floor had caught fire.

SHUKLA: Attacks like these are becoming more prevalent as the war in the east in the Donbas dries to a final phase, neither side is able to make

small gains, let alone take huge swathes of territory. Ukraine, though, has been recently able to deflect insane amounts of damage on Russia's oil and

gas facilities, with Western intelligence officials telling CNN that they have managed to wreak billions of dollars of damage on those facilities.

Sebastian Shukla, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: This just in to CNN, health officials say two people in Italy who were suspected of having the Ebola virus have now tested negative. Both

individuals had recently returned to Italy after spending several months in Uganda as aid workers. They were hospitalized with Ebola-like symptoms but

are now confirmed to be free of the deadly disease.

All of this comes as the World Health Organization warns Ebola is spreading faster than they can keep up with in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of

Congo.

CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau actually tracked -- is tracking this story for us from Rome.

And, Barbie, I mean, this is great news. Obviously, it hasn't come to Europe, but there was quite a sizable response to this. We got a sense of

how they would respond when it if it does come here.

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Yeah. No, I mean, max, this really is a sense of relief right now across the country, across Europe, Italy

especially. But it also, I think, underscores the sense of readiness here because the Italian health ministry had, you know, kicked off this

operation -- operational plan had put these two people who they suspected might have the virus in a biocontainment unit at the hospital in Milan, one

of the best in the country. And they were ready. They were testing. They were, you know, conducting the tests. They had done some contact tracing.

We understand they had also had started to do surveillance on the family members or anyone. These people would have come into contact with.

This is, of course, a relief, but it's very much probably a trial run because, as you say, the World Health Organization warning that this virus

is moving very quickly and, you know, people are moving back and forth and, you know, people are ready. So, it is a sense of relief here tonight in

Italy. But there is also a sense of nervousness because as these flights come in, people, especially aid workers, who are coming back after doing a

rotation in some of these areas in the Congo and also in Uganda, as they come back.

[15:15:05]

There will be increased surveillance and concerns. I'm sure this will not be the last time that we have this sort of, you know, trial run, as it

were, Max.

FOSTER: Barbie, appreciate it. Thank you.

Officials in California believe they've eliminated the threat of a dangerous vapor explosion. It could have spread toxins in and around the

city of Garden Grove. That's south of Los Angeles. While fire crews have stopped the potential vapor explosion, there's still a chance that a

chemical leak could explode, or a chemical tank, rather.

However, officials say that threat has been significantly reduced. More than 50,000 people remain under an evacuation order.

Coming up, a stark warning as Pope Leo challenges the power of big tech.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: A warning now about warfare and artificial intelligence that's coming from Pope Leo, who is known to be tech savvy. He's challenging the

so-called tech bro culture in his first major teaching letter, seen as a landmark.

CNN's Christopher Lamb explains from Rome.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: A pope weighing in on the debate over artificial intelligence. Leo XIV wants the church's voice heard

on what he sees as a revolution, taking the unprecedented step of personally presenting an encyclical letter on the issues, one of the

highest forms of papal teaching.

POPE LEO XIV, CATHOLIC CHURCH: Artificial intelligence needs to be disarmed. The word is strong, I know, but deliberately chosen because this

moment needs words capable of attracting attention, awakening consciences, and indicating paths forward for humanity.

LAMB (voice-over): Doing so alongside Chris Oehler, a co-founder of Anthropic, the leading A.I. firm, which has been in a legal dispute with

the Trump administration. An ethical and human centered development of A.I. is a top priority for the American pope, who is known to be tech savvy.

At the heart of his plea, an insistence that technology cannot replace the, quote, "grandeur of humanity," nor take the place of god or personal

conscience. And that A.I. should not be controlled by a powerful few, and warning about its use in war.

Leo wants to influence those responsible for the new tech. After a ten year dialogue between the Vatican and Silicon Valley over A.I.

LAMB: The pope sees A.I. as raising more than just technical questions. He sees it as asking profound ones about what it means to be human.

Now, in the past, the Catholic Church has made mistakes entering into scientific debate. But Pope Leo believes that faith and science, while

asking different questions, shouldn't be in opposition but help one another.

POPE LEO XIV: And may the blessing of --

LAMB (voice-over): This encyclical, likely to be a landmark text for Leo's papacy, a pope seeking to address a defining issue of the age.

Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: So what we want to know is why has Pope Leo chosen to speak out on A.I.?

Joining me now is Claire Giangrave. She is the Vatican reporter at the religionnews.com.

Thank you so much for joining us.

I mean, he does understand A.I. and tech, doesn't he? And it's interesting because normally, there's a bit of sensitivity between religious figures

getting involved in science like this. But he is clearly very concerned. He can see what's happening.

And he was talking, wasn't he, about his concerns about A.I. potentially replacing God in some people's minds, which is extraordinary.

CLAIRE GIANGRAVE, VATICAN REPORTER, RELIGION NEWS SERVICE: Well, yes, you know, Pope Leo has a background as a mathematician, but he's also a canon

lawyer and a theologian. So he's really a jack of all trades when it comes to these issues. And he's kind of perfectly equipped to handle this.

He said this today. He said, "I like my predecessors feel called right now to speak on this epochal change that is happening concerning artificial

intelligence." And he's trying to tackle, tackle it using the wisdom of the church

FOSTER: Yeah, and it's been really interesting. He was talking about A.I. in warfare as well, subject to the most rigorous ethical constraints, is

concerned about the ethics of A.I., isn't he? And how it's not being built into the system as it grows, as I understand it.

GIANGRAVE: A very large portion of this document addresses the issue of war. And that's not surprising, because for Pope Leo, war is not just a

problem concerning artificial intelligence, automated weapons, morality being taken further and further away from humanity when it comes to lethal

action. But it's also a really defining aspect of his papacy.

Think of the times that he spoke about peace and the reactions that that entailed from leaders from around the world, including the United States.

So it's really not a shock to hear the pope who came before the crowds and said, disarm your words. Let's create a disarmed and disarming peace to now

say, lets disarm A.I. as well. And disarming A.I. for Pope Leo means removing it, not just military interests, but also those opaque economic

interests that are fueling it.

FOSTER: And I was taken by what he said about the just war theory, which, I mean, it is a Christian doctrine, isn't it, that wars can be justified,

if there are certain conditions in place. He's saying that's completely outdated. And this is a doctrine, you know, across Christianity, which has

applied for centuries.

GIANGRAVE: Well, yes, the church has reflected on when is it right to go into war. Right? And usually the definition is that it must do more good

than harm, and it must have positive motivations behind it. But Pope Leo is concerned that some are using the interpretation of the Catholic

understanding of just war to justify any kind of war. And so, what Pope Leo is saying is maybe we need to start rethinking what a just war is and

really framing it within self-defense, as a general rule. And then within that, abdicating it to a world where artificial intelligence makes war just

much easier and seemingly without responsibility.

FOSTER: Yes. It's interesting what you said about self self-defense in the strictest sense. So if someone comes at you, then you can fight back in

theory, but it doesn't think it has any place beyond that. The aggressor doesn't necessarily have the church behind him.

GIANGRAVE: Yes. And we've heard, for example, Vice President J.D. Vance and also some other representatives in the government, you know, use the

term just war and appeal to the long tradition that the Catholic Church has regarding just war constantly. And for this pope that since Easter has been

calling for peace. And really, you know, making the statement -- making the argument that these kinds of reflections, these limited understandings of

just war aren't enough. And more than that, the church might need to really rethink how it frames just war.

And remember, this is the highest form of magisterial document that a pope can issue. So there is a real weight behind what he's saying on just war

here. And it will matter.

FOSTER: Yeah, really interesting. Claire Giangrave really appreciate you joining us today. It was a fascinating speech he made.

Now, still to come, both Iran and the U.S. say they are progressing towards a deal to end the war. But what major obstacles to peace remain?

I'll speak to a former Middle East adviser to the Pentagon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Well, while there are signs that Washington and Tehran are inching towards a possible peace agreement to end the war, a deal does not appear

to be right around the corner. U.S. President Donald Trump says any potential agreement will be the exact opposite of the one forged by former

President Barack Obama more than a decade ago.

In the meantime, the commander of Tehran's Revolutionary Guard claims Iran is stronger and better equipped now than it was on the first day of the

war. The Iranian foreign ministry said a degree of understanding has been reached with the U.S., but insists that a final agreement is not imminent.

[15:30:08]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESMAEIL BAGHAEL, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): It is correct to say that we have reached a conclusion on a

large part of the issues under discussion. However, no one can make such a claim to say that this means the imminent signing of an agreement, because

politics and decision making in the United States are experiencing a kind of institutionalized instability and are caught in such a situation. We are

witnessing frequent changes in positions that. Within a few hours you will encounter different and in many cases, contradictory views.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Jasmine El-Gamal is the founder and CEO of Averos Strategy. She's also a former Middle East adviser at the U.S. Defense Department, and the

host of "The View from Here" podcast.

Thank you for joining us, Jasmine. I mean, they do look confident at the moment the Iranians, don't they? I mean, is this all smoke and mirrors or

do they feel theyre in a really strong negotiating position

JASMINE EL-GAMAL, FOUNDER AND CEO, AVEROS STRATEGIES: Thank you, Max, for having me.

They do feel like theyre in a strong negotiating position. And they have felt that they are in a strong negotiating position, which is why it's

taken so long to get a deal signed. The problem that we're facing here, Max, is that forget what theyre saying publicly, all the different sides.

We've seen President Trump say for weeks now that the deal is almost, you know, its almost its around the corner. A deal is imminent, usually to

allay the markets and soothe their concerns. And then we find out that actually the two sides are still pretty far apart.

And I think we are still in the same situation here. The issues that are still under contention are pretty big issues. They're fundamental issues

when it comes to the balance of power in the region and how much control Iran will maintain over the Strait of Hormuz when all of this is said and

done, and also, just as importantly, whether President Trump can come out of this with a deal that he is able to sell right ahead of midterms as a

victory for himself, for the American people. And, of course, you have the Israel factor, where Israel is very much involved in terms of influencing

the president's decisions and activating their allies in the U.S. So it still remains very, very complicated.

FOSTER: But what are the Iranians mean when they say theyre in a stronger position than they were at the beginning of the war? Surely that can't be

true

EL-GAMAL: Well, think about it. I mean, at the beginning of the war, they didn't control the Strait of Hormuz. And now, you know, here we are with no

end seemingly in sight. And they still are insisting that even if they're not going to maintain a system of, of, you know, tolls, if they're not

going to charge tolls for ships passing through that, they still want to impose some sort of a fee. They're calling it an environmental fee, a

service fee in conjunction with Oman.

I mean, all of these different arrangements are meant to solidify what Iran sees as its influence in the region, its geopolitical influence. And that,

of course, is unacceptable to the United States and to Israel in the region, as well as to the Gulf countries as well.

Now, Donald Trump, of course, now has thrown an added wrench into the discussions by out of the blue, insisting that the Arab countries in the

region, as part of this deal, will have to sign on to the Abraham Accords, which is a nonstarter for most of the Arab countries in the region. So just

lots more complicated issues than I think people realize if they are just listening to President Trump or the Iranian statements.

FOSTER: And there's also just this red line for both sides, right on the nuclear issue, because Iran doesn't want to give up its nuclear program

completely. And that appears to be a red line. But it also appears to be a red line for Republicans in Washington. We're hearing from Stephen

Collinson earlier that they were concerned that Trump might end up moving on that and allowing Iran to keep more than Republicans want. And that's a

real challenge for the president

EL-GAMAL: Well, the problem is that the U.S. position right now, when it comes to the nuclear issue, is a maximalist position. And it's not the

position that Witkoff and Jared Kushner even started with. We're talking two years ago, when the first -- during the first restarting of

negotiations between Israel -- between the U.S. and Iran, the American side didn't start out insisting on zero enrichment. And then they ended up

asking for zero enrichment because of that pressure that you're talking about, both from the Israelis and from Republicans and Iran hawks in

Washington, D.C.

So I actually see the nuclear issue if the U.S. were to move its position a little bit, as much less serious than the issue of the Strait of Hormuz,

the Iranians have proven that theyre willing to negotiate on the nuclear issue.

[15:35:03]

They did. So back when I was at the Pentagon, during the Obama administration and just before this war started, if you'll remember, Max,

the Omani foreign minister went to the U.S. and said, which we have no reason not to believe what he said, said that the Iranians had been

prepared to make concessions even greater than they made during the negotiations with Obama. So to me, that's actually the less complicated

issue. The more complicated issue is how do you work out the strait of Hormuz issue without leaving the Iranians feeling, thinking or acting like

they are the major power in the Middle East, which, like I said before, neither the Gulf countries nor Israel will accept.

FOSTER: Okay. Jasmine, appreciate it, as ever. Thank you.

News of those peace talks boosting stock markets here in Europe, there's no trading on Wall Street or here in London due to public holidays. But the

main indices in Frankfurt and Paris were up as much as 2 percent.

This is our Business Breakout.

Oil prices dropping sharply on those reports that the United States and Iran were getting closer to a peace deal. Both Brent and West Texas Crude

prices fell by around 6 percent. Now, Brent is now below $100 a barrel, although still up significantly from the $74 price before the war. Iran's

central bank governor has or is part of the diplomatic delegation in Doha for talks on ending the war, according to a diplomat briefed on the visit.

Iran's frozen funds are expected to be part of the discussions and would be part of any final agreement, the Portuguese airline tap says fuel prices

are becoming significantly higher and will weigh on the company's coming quarters.

The company still managed to post revenue growth in the first quarter of the year. Taps chief executive says the economic environment is becoming

increasingly challenging and still have to figure out how to incorporate artificial intelligence into their business.

Now, one startup says. It can even have A.I. fly the plane itself. Our aviation correspondent Pete Muntean was our willing passenger to test it

out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I'm in the copilot seat of a Cessna.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three. Good

MUNTEAN (voice-over): And I'm about to find out what happens when the pilot flying is not human, but artificial intelligence.

TIM BURNS, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MERLIN LABS: This is our experimental caravan.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Tim Burns is the chief technology officer at Merlin Labs, a Boston startup developing a system that can be bolted into existing

airplanes. Merlin says its system can fly the plane, talk to air traffic control, and even help make decisions about weather and routing.

BURNS: We're trying to capture the judgment and abilities of a real aviator.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Merlin says it has completed hundreds of test flights to see how the system performs in real world conditions, though it

is likely years away from carrying passengers.

In the back of the plane, one of the company's engineers is monitoring what the A.I. is doing in real time.

MATT DIAMOND, TEST PILOT: I don't know if I know exactly what I'm in for here.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Alongside me is test pilot Matt Diamond, who on this flight won't be doing much piloting at all.

MUNTEAN: So this is just a manual takeoff?

DIAMOND: This is going to be an automated take.

MUNTEAN: Oh, this is an automated.

DIAMOND: Yeah.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Meaning the A.I. system is flying the airplane from the very start.

MUNTEAN: Nicely done.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): The next part of the demonstration, communicating with air traffic control.

Merlin System displays its language processing on an iPad as it listens to a mock controller, repeats the instruction, and then flies the airplane to

match it.

CONTROLLER: Magic 01, turn left, heading 090, descend 2000.

A.I. VOICE: Left 090 and down 2000. Magic 01.

DIAMOND: Authorized.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Authorized.

MUNTEAN: We're at about 1,500 feet now over Newport, Rhode Island. And we just turned on to the final approach here at Quonset State Airport. Now

this is going to be an automated landing and the system will fly the airplane all the way down to the pavement.

DIAMOND: It's a challenging problem for the automation, but once you crack the code, then it's so much easier on the pilot.

MUNTEAN: You seem pretty confident over there.

DIAMOND: Oh, yeah.

MUNTEAN: Yeah, you seem pretty relaxed. Should I be this relaxed?

DIAMOND: Yeah, absolutely.

MUNTEAN: OK, all right.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): As a pilot and a bit of a control freak, this is not exactly easy for me, but the system lines up with the runway and flies a

gradual descent all the way to touchdown.

MUNTEAN: Smooth, easy.

DIAMOND: Right on center line.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Even still, putting A.I. in control of an airplane raises big questions about safety and trust.

Merlin CEO Matthew George.

MATTHEW GEORGE, CEO, MERLIN LABS: What were building is certainly very sci-fi, but were doing it in a responsible, incremental way.

[15:40:01]

MUNTEAN: Will this put pilots out of jobs?

GEORGE: It won't. This is sitting alongside pilots, not necessarily replacing pilots and enabling those pilots to do more of what they do best,

which is operate aircraft safely.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): That could be appealing to airlines worldwide, which will need to hire more than 600,000 new pilots over the next 20 years,

according to Boeing.

Merlin has already secured $100 million contract with the U.S. Air Force to eventually fly cargo planes without pilots on board at all. But convincing

passengers may be the hardest part.

MIKE TANNENBAUM, PASSENGER: As long as it's safe and a more efficient, and test it out in advance, I'm for it.

MEG MCKNIGHT, PASSENGER: But I don't know if I trust A.I. in the air. I doubt I trust it.

STEVE COLEMAN, PASSENGER: I like the idea of humans having control. I don't like the idea of machines having control.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Pete Muntean, CNN, Quonset, Rhode Island.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Still to come. K-Pop has danced its way to the heart of Mexico. A look at a dance studio embracing the wildly popular Korean sounds, just

ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Fans of K-pop megastars BTS are eagerly anticipating their performance just hours from now at the American Music Awards.

Ahead of the show are Valeria Leon visited a K-pop dance class in Mexico, where the musical genre is sweeping the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is K-pop, South Korea's biggest cultural phenomenon, which has found a huge audience as far away as

Mexico. I decided to join a class at the country's biggest K-pop dance school, where everyone was grooving to the hit band Twice, and it didn't

take long to see why this musical style is so popular.

LEON: Everybody feels so free here, letting go and just enjoying.

[15:45:00]

VALENTINA, STUDENT OF K-POP DANCE CLASS (translated): I started listening to K-pop in 2020, and little by little I liked it more and more until I

found the academy and decided to sign up for classes. And well, I had never danced before.

LEON (voice-over): For students like 54-year-old Yesenia Morales, it's all about feeling accepted.

YESENIA MORALES, STUDENT OF K-POP DANCE CLASS (translated): I feel like it's a family because, honestly, this K-pop class doesn't really see age

differences the way other academies sometimes do.

LEON (voice-over): But for many fans, it goes beyond the music itself. Some say they see themselves reflected in the messages with lyrics that

often explore hope, everyday struggles, and a sense of belonging.

CARLA AVILA, STUDENT OF K-POP DANCE CLASS (translated): It came into my life during a difficult time. During the pandemic, my grandfather passed

away, and around that time, I discovered a group that talked about hope, and about dealing with depression and getting through it. So that really

inspired me.

LEON (voice-over): And according to the school's director, stories like Carla's are in town common.

CRIS DI CARLO, DIRECTOR OF K-POP DANCE MEXICO (translated): For example, people who were physically harming themselves or had certain struggles

started getting better after finding K-pop because they hadn't learned how to channel anxiety, and they didn't know how to process it.

There were cases involving bullying, anorexia, and bulimia. Very delicate situations.

LEON (voice-over): Most students here are between 10 and 20 years old, but age quickly becomes secondary once the music starts.

And here in Mexico, K-pop has found a home. Earlier this month more than 50,000 fans flocked to Mexico City's main square to see the global

sensation, BTS.

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT: Welcome. Hello.

LEON (voice-over): The excitement even reached Mexico's National Palace, where President Claudia Sheinbaum welcomed members, and embedded them back

in 2027 after three sold out concerts.

SHEINBAUM (translated): Would you like to come back to Mexico next year?

BTS MEMBERS: Yes. Very good.

LEON (voice-over): Mexico is now Spotify's fifth largest K-pop market, proof that a sound board nearly 12,000 kilometers away can count on fans

singing along on the other side of the world.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Still to come tonight, the war and the World Cup. How Iran's football team is dealing with the U.S. saying you're not welcome here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:12]

FOSTER: Mexico has agreed to host Iran's World Cup team during their upcoming football tournament. Iran will stay in Tijuana, which is close to

the U.S.-Mexico border. Iran is still due to play all of its matches in us cities. Two cities, two in Los Angeles, one in Seattle, but will not

overnight in the U.S. during the event.

CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan joins us now with more on this.

I know you're waiting to hear what would happen to this team. It's an extraordinary setup, though, isn't it?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Max, it sure is. And certainly, you know, buckle up everybody. This is -- this is the U.S. and Mexico and

Canada World Cup, which is fraught with all of these political developments. Obviously, the war in Iran, this is -- this is the kind of

story I have a feeling that we'll be discussing quite a bit. It's great that this has been resolved. Thank goodness this is a three-nation World

Cup because if it was just the U.S., what -- how would that play out? But Iran, of course, was not welcome in the U.S. So they are in Mexico. And

President Sheinbaum was saying, hey, we'll take them. No problem.

And the geographical situation, as you know, Max, I mean, it's actually fine because they'll just be south of San Diego in Tijuana and they play

two games, as you said, in Los Angeles and one in Seattle. So they'll just stay up and down the West Coast. So, it actually works out pretty well

considering what, you know, the fraught circumstances that are surrounding this, this story.

FOSTER: What do you think the president is messaging here? Because is she saying that sport should stay out of politics if the teams in the

tournament, they should be allowed to play, and we should keep politics away whilst the U.S. is obviously bringing politics into it?

BRENNAN: I think that's what she's saying. I mean, I watched her press conference and, she was very calm about it. I mean like, sure, you know,

theyre let them stay here.

She said the U.S. does not want them to overnight in the United States so they can overnight in Mexico. It is a very different as you were alluding -

- obviously, I'm a sports journalist and ill stay in my lane. But when politics intrudes in sports and when the president of United States gets

involved as he has been and will continue to be, we presume, then yes, it becomes a story that that sports and that transcends sports.

And so, whatever Trump -- President Trump is thinking, I don't know. Clearly, he started a war. He also got that peace prize, quotes around

that. And so here we go. I mean, as I said, you know, buckle up because this is the kind of story, maybe unsettling, maybe troubling to many

people, but this is the kind of story that we are in for based on the political circumstances. And yes, you're right, Mexico is playing a very

different thing, very -- singing a very different tune than the U.S. is for sure.

FOSTER: How far are they going to get?

BRENNAN: Oh, Iran? You know what?

FOSTER: Yeah.

BRENNAN: I -- that's a good question. You know, I -- it -- well, it will be fascinating if they move on and many of the teams will, as you know,

bigger tournament. And then all the logistics come into play. I think, you know, we'll all have one eye on Iran and one eye on all the other matches

and then another eye on Trump, right? And see what he how he's responding.

So, you know, one could easily see them moving on. They will have -- they have a very interesting political situation in which they're playing in the

United States, but they also have quite a bit of support, I would imagine, as players, as human beings, while they're representing a country that, of

course, the United States is at war with for sure.

FOSTER: There was talk that, you know, they wouldn't sell all the tickets, people wouldn't go often happens, doesn't it, Christine, before all these

big events, we get it before the Olympics as well. But I mean, in the end, everyone goes and they want to go. Are you feeling quite confident about

how it's all been organized and whether people are safe to go, can get tickets, can get the transport?

BRENNAN: Certainly, the issue of coming to the United States and the safety and being able to come in and the United States and, of course,

Mexico and Canada, too. Max, welcoming the world. I mean, that's something that every American citizen should care very much about and hope that that

is the case. If you sign up for the World Cup, then you need to be a good host. So that's a big part of it.

As far as transportation, as far as the issues -- I mean, I almost want to say this again to you. Batten down the hatches. I mean, the ticket prices,

there's great issue there. I talked to friends and family. People want to go, but the prices are such or the transportation, the cost to get to the

stadium.

This is a far flung World Cup, as you know, when a European nation hosts, it's -- it tends to be a smaller country, the United States then throw in

Canada and Mexico. This is a huge space.

That's a lot of transportation.

[15:55:01]

That's a lot of cost. That's a lot of moving people around to, you know, miles -- hundreds of miles or thousands of miles apart in some cases. So I

think all of that comes into play in a way it didn't back in `94, when the U.S. hosted the men's World Cup or when the U.S. has hosted the women's

World Cup.

Obviously, this is a very different situation with, as you said, everything -- cost, transportation, the kind of host the United States will be, the

political climate. You name it, this one is going to have it all.

FOSTER: Okay. We're looking forward to it. Christine, you're going to be busy as ever.

And finally, tonight, a competition of a different kind here in the U.K. It's that time of year.

It's a long tradition, just so you know. Britain's annual cheese rolling contest at Coopers Hill was quite the spectacle. Dozens of participants and

onlookers braved the U.K.'s hottest May Day on record for a wheel of Gloucester cheese. That's it.

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

END

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