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What We Know with Max Foster
Trump: Iran Deal May Hinge On Allies Joining Abraham Accords; Israel Issues Evacuation Warnings For South Lebanon; Five Of Seven People Trapped In Laotian Cave Found Alive; Nine Missing After Deadly Chemical Tank Rupture; UK, Poland Sign Defense Treaty Against Russian Aggression; Paxton Wins Texas Senate Primary As Democrats See Opening. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired May 27, 2026 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:30]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Donald Trump lays out his latest thinking on a deal with Iran.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
President Trump says he is not satisfied with the current proposal for a deal with Iran, and won't be pressured into an agreement. During a cabinet
meeting at the White House, the president told reporters he may refuse to make peace with Tehran unless countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and
Pakistan agree to sign on to the Abraham Accords and normalize ties with Israel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would like to have them join the Abraham Accords. It will be historic if they do it. I think they -
- I think they owe that to us, to be honest, I think because that really would be a tremendous sign. And I think those countries owe it to us.
REPORTER: Mr. President --
TRUMP: Steve, are you going to get them to sign?
STEVE WITKOFF, MIDDLE EAST ENVOY: We're definitely pushing it, Mr. President.
TRUMP: I'm not sure, I'm not sure we should make the deal if they don't sign, if you want to know the truth.
REPORTER: So the Iran deal might be contingent on more countries joining Abraham accords?
TRUMP: I don't know. I don't want to say that. I'm not going to give you - - you know, what's contingent, what's not. I can say that, we can make a good deal right now, but maybe not a great deal. And if it's not a great
deal when I'm making it because we can make a great deal with this guy right here. And. But -- it's, you know, it's a lot nastier.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: President Trump also issued a blunt warning today to another American ally in the region. He says the United States would be prepared to
blow up Oman if they don't cooperate with U.S. plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The strait is going to be open to everybody.
REPORTER: And who would control it?
TRUMP: It's international waters. Nobody's going to control it. We're going to watch over it. We'll watch over it. But nobody's going to control
it. That's part of the negotiation that we have.
They would like to control it. Nobody's going to control. It's international waters, and Oman will behave just like everybody else or
we'll have to blow them up. They understand that. They'll be fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: CNN's Kevin Liptak with us from the White House.
I have to say, you know, you can imagine how all this is going down in the Middle East. We've been speaking to correspondents there. First of all,
threatening to blow up Oman. But also this idea, which seems completely unworkable, that countries like Saudi Arabia would be expected to sign the
Abraham Accords without bringing Gaza into it. You know, all those complexities.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. You know, Saudi Arabia has made pretty explicit just in the last few days, but also over
the course of the last year, that theyre not going to join the Abraham Accords, which would create a normalization agreement with Israel if there
isn't an irreversible path hood -- a pathway to Palestinian statehood, which at the moment there is not. And so how the president is linking these
two things together, I think, is a little unclear.
He seems to suggest that because he is getting pressure from these countries to sign on to this deal with Iran. You know, he heard that
pressure in phone calls over the weekend with Mohammed bin Salman, with the leaders of these other gulf nations that because they want him to sign off
on this agreement, that he has some leverage over them to try and convince them to sign on to these Abraham Accords. But clearly, they view it very
differently. And I don't know that were going to see a lot of movement on that, frankly, as this proceeds.
When it comes to Oman, I think the president seems somewhat confused. You know, he was asked this question about the idea of Iran and Oman jointly
controlling what goes through the Strait of Hormuz. That is a provision that was included in this report from Iranian state TV that we heard
earlier today, going through some of the points in this 14-point memorandum of understanding.
Oman is obviously a staunch U.S. ally. I think as part of that arrangement, it would have been seen as sort of having the U.S. interests in mind as it
was controlling the strait. So I wouldn't be surprised if we see some cleanup on that in the next few hours. But obviously, an eyebrow raising
comment from the president.
You know, taken all together, the president seems really reluctant to appear overeager to sign on to this deal. You know, he said on Saturday
that this negotiation was largely completed. He's saying today that he's not satisfied with the arrangement. I think part of this is the blowback
that he's been getting from some hawks in the Republican Party, who really wonder whether this is actually a good deal that he's signed off on, based
on some of the contours of the memorandum that we have seen coming out, he's really trying to tamp down on that, saying, quote, "that he is under
no pressure" and that he doesn't care about the midterms as he's thinking about this deal making.
Obviously, the midterms, higher gas prices, some of the Republican prospects politically that have been dampened by all of this, creating some
pressure, I think whether he likes it or not, to come to some sort of deal, but at least in public, very, very eager to say that he will not be signing
off on anything that isn't a good deal.
FOSTER: Okay, Kevin, thank you very much.
Israel expanding its military operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. The Israeli defense forces have issued what appears to be the
largest ever evacuation warning of the city of Tyre. They are also telling people in Nabatieh to leave.
Now, CNN's Oren Liebermann has been following these developments and joins us now from Jerusalem.
Obviously, there have been similar movements, haven't there, in recent weeks. So how does this compare to other days of its kind?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, the clearest thing we're seeing here is an escalation. And don't forget this comes in the
middle of what is supposed to be a U.S. brokered 45-day extension to the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire. But when you look on the ground at what's
happening, one thing you definitely do not see is anything that resembles a ceasefire, as Israel continues in a conflict with the Iranian proxy in
Lebanon, Hezbollah. And that is not only escalating, it is spreading.
Israeli forces have pushed north of the so-called yellow line and are operating north of that line, which has been the northern boundary for the
Israeli occupied zone in southern Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an intensification of strikes on Hezbollah. And we're
seeing the effects of that. Evacuation warnings for the city of Tyre in the city of Nabatieh, both of those are north of the yellow line. So, Israel
expanding where it will carry out strikes there, also striking the Beqaa Valley.
Tuesday was one of the deadliest days in Lebanon since the ceasefire, according to the Lebanese ministry of public health, 31 people were killed
in Lebanon by Israeli strikes throughout the course of the day in numerous strikes.
So you see where this is headed. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has continued to launch drones, rockets and projectiles at northern Israel and Southern
Lebanon. So, it's difficult to see a pathway here for any sort of de- escalation, even as President Donald Trump tries to push for ongoing negotiations between Israel and Lebanon and what would be a landmark
meeting between Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. But from where we sit now, Max, it seems almost impossible for that to be able to
happen to get those two leaders in a room. And that's because neither Israel nor Hezbollah are showing any sign of being interested in a de-
escalation or an off ramp at this point.
FOSTER: Oren, thank you for that update from today.
Now, meanwhile, Israel says it killed the newly appointed commander of Hamas's military wing days after killing his predecessor. Israeli
authorities say Mohammed Odeh, who Israel considers a key planner of the October 7th attacks, was killed in a strike in northern Gaza on Monday.
We're going to turn now to Laos, where rescue crews have found five out of seven villagers alive in a flooded cave. Crews will now be bringing them
supplies to improve their strength. The search for the two others still continues. Finding the missing villagers is just the first part, though of
this rescue operation. As Will Ripley explains, the next challenge is getting those trapped safely out of that cave.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the moment rescuers found five villagers alive, trapped for a week in a
flooded cave in central Laos.
The men say theyre not sick, just weak, exhausted and desperately hungry. Officials say they entered the cave a week ago searching for gold. Heavy
rain and flash flooding sealed the exit behind them. Seven days later, their first taste of fresh water and soon food and first aid. But the
danger is far from over.
Some of the same elite cave divers who helped rescue a soccer team in Thailand in 2018 are back working on this rescue, including Finnish diver
Mikko Paasi. He's helping lead the search and rescue operation, crawling through claustrophobic caverns full of muddy water. He says getting the
survivors out alive will be extremely difficult and extremely dangerous.
MIKKO PAASI, DIVER: It's extremely small, tight complex of tunnels. The tight spots in this mine are so tight that you need to exhale to wiggle
through.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Some tunnels are just 23in wide, forcing divers to crawl sideways flat on their stomachs.
[15:10:03]
They leave the cave covered in mud, exhausted from searching around the clock, all during monsoon season. In this mountainous jungle region near
Long Tieng, once home to a secret CIA base during the Vietnam War, flash floods can happen in minutes. Teams are pumping fresh air underground,
working to drain the rising water and even establishing an Internet signal deep inside the cave, using radar technology to scan narrow underground
passages.
Rescuers in Laos are hoping for another survival story, like that Thai soccer team about eight years ago. They spent more than two weeks
underground and all made it out alive.
But conditions this time may be even more treacherous. Rising water, tight tunnels and zero visibility, putting rescuers and survivors in danger.
RIPLEY: What rescuers still don't know is exactly how stable conditions are deeper inside the cave system. Divers say, even small changes in
rainfall could quickly raise the water level again during monsoon season. And unlike the Thai cave rescue in 2018, this is an old hand dug mining
tunnel with concerns about unstable passages, contaminated air and the risk of collapse.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: So what we want to know is how can the survivors be rescued now that they've been found?
Joining me now is Anmar Mirza formerly of the U.S. National Cave Rescue Commission.
Thank you so much for joining us.
I mean, they can't just bring them out straight away, can they? They've got to strengthen them, I guess. And then we've got this complication of those
very tight spaces. We're hearing from Will about.
ANMAR MIRZA, U.S. NATIONAL CAVE RESCUE COMMISSION: That is correct. And unlike a natural cave system, mines which are manmade are far less stable,
particularly when they are more recent and they're not engineered properly, if they are kind of in more of an informal type of a situation.
FOSTER: The weather conditions are what seems to be really worrying them, you know, a gush of water coming from a monsoon rain that suddenly comes
in. That's incredibly difficult, isn't it, for the rescuers, because they're putting themselves at risk as well.
MIRZA: Absolutely. Cave diving itself under the best of conditions is very dangerous. And it requires a considerable amount of experience and
expertise. And doing it under these conditions amplifies the risk to people who already have experience. And now when you have to try to bring out
people who have no experience with cave diving and who are already weakened by several days of starvation, it makes it a very, very difficult problem,
and the risk cannot be overstated.
We were very lucky in Thailand to get the entire team out, but this is not a situation that lends itself always to a happy ending. We certainly hope
for it. And I know that the people there are going to do their absolute best. The risk is incredible.
FOSTER: We had to sedate them in the end, didn't you, in Thailand?
MIRZA: They did end up sedating them in the end in Thailand. And that was -- that unto itself was also a risky proposition. And so, again, there --
there are no good answers here and there are a lot of factors working against us, hopefully, in this particular situation. As always, we hope for
the best possible outcome, but we want to make sure that we don't get more people hurt or killed based on the situation that's coming in here with the
potential for more rains, more flooding and unstable conditions.
FOSTER: You've also got this issue that two of the people haven't been found yet. So there's going to be an urgency in relation to that as well,
isn't there?
MIRZA: Yes. And when any time you're doing a search like that, when you have absolutely no visibility in a -- in a mine, particularly where it may
not be mapped, the cave in Thailand was known, it was mapped. And so you had a much better idea of the extent these informal mines can go in
directions that you have no idea about. And again, because they are, they're not engineered. They may be, they may have sections that have
gotten blocked off because of the flooding. And when you're trying to do that in complete blackout conditions, underwater, you may not have access
to areas of the cave where people may be entrapped, that you don't even know exist.
FOSTER: Okay. Anmar Mirza, thank you for joining us today. Is that very tense operation plays out in Laos.
Now in the U.S., meanwhile, nine people are missing following an accident at a paper plant.
[15:15:02]
It happened on Tuesday morning in Washington state. At least one person was killed. Several others were injured when a massive tank containing
hazardous chemicals ruptured. Corrosive chemicals at the site are impeding search efforts.
CNN's Nick Watt has been tracking this for us.
When we look at the pictures, you can see what the rescuers are dealing with.
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Max, and you know, we've just had a confirmation of a second death. So, two people dead now, nine people remain
missing. And it looks increasingly like they are missing, presumed dead. We just heard from officials saying that when they are recovered, they will be
taken to the coroner's office, not to the hospital.
Now, what happened here is Tuesday morning early, that huge tank that you see was holding about 900,000 gallons. That's the capacity. 900,000 gallons
of something called white liquor, which is this very, very caustic, strong alkaline that they use to basically turn wood chips into pulp. So you can
imagine what that does to human skin and a human body when it comes into contact.
Nine, ten people taken to the hospital, suffering burns. Also issues with their breathing and with their eyes. Now the other issue that they faced
was that a fire hydrant also blew. So you had about half a million gallons of this very toxic white liquor and water flowing all around that scene. So
you can imagine if you're a worker and you're standing in that liquid, horrific, terrifying. So what they've been trying to do is stabilize that
tank so they can get in and get on with the recovery efforts.
This is a small town on the border of Washington and Oregon, Washington state and Oregon small town. This plant has been there since the 1950s.
About 500 people work there.
And, you know, reading the comments on Facebook overnight, and this morning, people in that town with missing relatives and friends just
basically hoping for a miracle. And it sadly does not look like that miracle is going to come to pass. As I said, Max, we've now got two
confirmed dead. And those nine people still missing at this point, presumed dead -- Max.
FOSTER: Okay. Nick Watt, thank you for that.
Still to come, what the U.K. and European allies are doing to fight Russian cyber attacks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:20:40]
FOSTER: Now as threats from Russian aggression ripple through Europe, the U.K. and Poland are signing a new treaty to bolster cooperation on defense
and cyber security. The two already share close ties, but British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the new challenges Europe faces warrant an even
stronger partnership. This comes as the U.K.'s spy chief, or one of them warned threats from Russia have been relentless and that Britain and its
allies risk losing a cyber security conflict unless they act together.
So what we want to know is how serious is the security threat from Russia?
Joining us now, CNN producer Seb Shukla.
I mean, we've heard lots of warnings, haven't we, from analysts. But this is making it very real when countries are actually planning on some sort of
counter measures.
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Yeah. And we've actually seen more than warnings, too, Max. There have been various episodes of sabotage, hybrid
activity, gray zone attacks, whatever you like to call it, across Europe, including even here in Germany and these two countries, the U.K. and
Poland, are not -- are also susceptible to it, too, and have seen attacks of the same nature.
What Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, the way he described it today is that there is no greater challenge than a Russian aggression to
the entire continent. But he was talking particularly to Warsaw and to London. And as both of those prime ministers today in London signed this
defense and security agreement, what that's looking to do effectively, max, is to entrench the bilateral cooperation when it comes to the military and
security structures of those two nations.
What they're hoping is to be able to share that intellectual property and know how that differ between those two countries, to be able to come
together to build could be unmanned aerial vehicle systems, drones, it could be air defense capabilities, all with the focus on being able to
combat any aggression that comes from Moscow, something that both of those capitals are feeling very acutely.
But this agreement also doesn't just take in to military aspects either. There was a discussion about tackling border security, and also the way
that the two countries want to tackle organized crime as well. But the issue of cyber security, although the prime minister today was taking a
30,000-foot view on that discussion and the cooperation between the two, the head of GCHQ took a much more granular look at the way and the threats,
particularly with cyber, that the U.K. is facing.
Take a listen to what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNE KEAST-BUTLER, DIRECTOR, GCHQ: It's rare for any head of an intelligence agency to speak in public, but I'm doing so to you today
because we are at a moment of consequence where the actions we take and the partnerships we build are ever more critical given the threats we face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHUKLA: The head of GCHQ, the U.K. signal intelligence agency, talking there and she spoke very poignantly, I think, at Bletchley Park there, Max,
just outside of London, which was the head of the U.K.'s Signal Institute at the time that was so crucial in cracking the enigma code that that
cipher that was used by the Nazi regime during the Second World War, and the message that she's trying to deliver is that its not only governments
that have to take the threat of Russia and its cyber attacks seriously, it is everybody. And that it goes through boardrooms to living rooms.
She's trying to deliver the message that we are all under attack almost constantly from aggressors, particularly from Russia, and that other
adversaries, including China and Iran, are catching up and that the U.K. in particular needs to act ten times faster than it is right now in order to
be able to keep abreast and to keep ahead of any malign activity.
And so, Max, that's the message that she was looking to deliver. And the way now is how the U.K. government and people will respond to it, Max.
FOSTER: Yeah, it was interesting to hear from her.
[15:25:01]
Sebastian, thank you so much.
Still to come, the saga over World Cup ticket prices, it's continuing. Now, two U.S. states are investigating FIFA just two weeks before the tournament
is about to kick off.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:28:38]
FOSTER: It is a rare moment that both Donald Trump and his Democratic rivals are happy about an election, but both sides are celebrating after
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the Republican nomination for Senate. Now, Paxton used an endorsement from Mr. Trump to beat incumbent Senator
John Cornyn.
Democrats are thrilled with that result. Cornyn is a longtime member of the Republican establishment and could have been difficult for Democrats to
beat. Paxton has been plagued by scandal, and Democrats think his name on the ballot gives them a chance to steal a Senate seat.
Our Arlette Saenz has more on what could become the most expensive Senate race in history.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The general election showdown between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and State Democratic lawmaker James
Talarico is now officially set, with many anticipating that this will be one of the most expensive and competitive fights in the battle for control
of the U.S. Senate in November.
Now, Democrats have not won a senate seat here in Texas since 1988, but the party is holding out some hope that with Talarico, they have a good shot at
flipping the seat blue. A big reason why is because they believe that Paxton's long history of personal and political controversies will drag him
down in November, as voters head to the polls in this match up.
[15:30:02]
Now, shortly after Paxton declared victory in this runoff, both candidates started to preview their general election messaging, with Talarico painting
Paxton as corrupt and Paxton arguing that Talarico is too radical for Texas.
KEN PAXTON, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE: My opponent is the most extreme radical the Democrats have ever nominated. James Talarico is going
to be nothing more than a Texas-based puppet for Chuck Schumer and the national Democrats.
JAMES TALARICO, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: If we the people can come together to defeat the most corrupt politician in America, we can
defeat this entire corrupt system. We can start un-rigging this economy. We can start raising our pay, cutting our taxes, lowering our costs. We can
finally get ahead.
SAENZ: One big thing to watch in this race is how much money gets poured into the state of Texas. Democrat James Talarico is one of his party's
biggest fundraisers. He brought in more than $27 million in the first three months of this year, a campaign source told me that last night, in the two
hours after Paxton's victory, Talarico raised $600,000.
Now, Paxton struggled with fundraising throughout this contest. He lagged behind his GOP opponent, John Cornyn, and he only brought in $2.2 million
in the first three months of 2026. So there are big questions about what Paxton's fundraising abilities will look like going forward and if the
national party will have to invest big here in the state to try to keep it in Republican control.
Arlette Saenz, CNN, Plano, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: It's the final moments of trade on Wall Street, and stocks are higher. The Dow is up around half of 1 percent.
This is our Business Breakout.
A new report says there's been a remarkable increase in Americans struggling to put food on the table. A study from the New York Federal
Reserve shows more Americans are skipping meals or dipping into savings to cover expenses. Researchers say the problem is particularly bad in
households with young children, due to the high cost of living.
Lululemon has settled its corporate battle with its founder, Chip Wilson, who's also Lululemon's second largest shareholder. He's been pushing for
new board members to overhaul the athleisure company. Two of his nominees will join the board next month. Wilson is banned from badmouthing the
company in public for 18 months as part of this deal.
Ferrari's new electric vehicle has had a high profile test driver. Pope Leo was visited by a team from Ferrari at the papal residence. The pontiff took
the Italian carmaker's first ever fully electric vehicle for a spin, and in a symbolic gesture, the car's steering wheel was donated to him.
A major development just two weeks out from the FIFA World Cup. The attorneys general of New York and New Jersey have subpoenaed FIFA as they
indicate -- investigate rather ticket prices and practices, they say. Football's world governing body has put prices impossibly high and blocked
locals from buying affordable tickets. The World Cup, co-hosted by the U.S., kicks off on June the 11th.
Kara Scannell is in New York.
This is a pretty last minute.
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, Max, and its because of the soaring ticket prices and what authorities say are complaints from fans
that they thought they bought tickets for one section, and then they're learning that the tickets are, in fact, for another section, in some cases,
even further away from the field. So the New York attorney general and the attorney general for the state of New Jersey have filed subpoenas to FIFA
today, seeking information relating to these pricings. And that's because a lot of the matches, eight matches will be held at the MetLife Stadium,
which is in New Jersey, including the final World Cup match.
So that is why the states here are getting involved and asking questions about these ticket prices and how they've come about. This is very late
stage, in a sense, that these games are about to get underway, but it is something that now the states are looking to learn more information about
why these ticket sales have turned out that the way that they have, and why there have been so many complaints from fans -- Max.
FOSTER: Yeah, stay with us. CNN contacted FIFA about the story. The organization declined to comment. FIFA previously told CNN that its pricing
strategy spans a broad range of price points and categories, reflecting market demand for each match.
Kara, I want to come to you on this other news as well, FIFA-related legal news. The Justice Department has dropped, hasn't it, a long running bribery
case involving FIFA after telling a federal judge that bribery is no longer one of the Trump administration's priorities. So the DOJ first announced
these -- this wave of charges 11 years ago, and they involved alleged corruption with football media rights. It sparked a huge crisis in world
football, eventually forcing the then FIFA president, Sepp Blatter. Everyone may remember to resign.
I mean, in the background, in everyone's mind, here is how close Trump appears to be to FIFA.
SCANNELL: Yeah, Max, I mean, you remember 11 years ago today that there were these sweeping charges announced against more than a dozen people? It
really was a wrecking ball at FIFA, the governing body for global football, and caused some senior resignations and raised a lot of questions. But
these were charges that were brought involving dozens of people, involving allegations of bribery going back more than 20 years.
Today, in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, there was a hearing because DOJ had asked the judge to dismiss charges against a former 21st Century
Fox executive who was accused of being involved in a bribery scheme to get the rights to show the games. That was after this man had been convicted.
After trial, the judge had overturned that conviction, but an appeals court reinstated it. Now, DOJ getting involved, saying that they wanted the case
dismissed.
So at this hearing today, the one prosecutor at the table was the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, not the line prosecutors who
brought the case. The judge pointing that out to him, he said, well, I'm the one that signed the motion to dismiss. And he said that they were
dismissing DOJ wanted to dismiss it because this bribery was no longer a priority. He said they didn't want to dedicate additional resources to it.
They wanted to put their resources into their priorities, which include going after terrorism, threats to national security, drug trafficking,
human trafficking and other crimes.
But certainly, this is the second biggest high profile case where DOJ has walked away from a bribery investigation. Last year, in the second Trump
administration, they dropped the bribery charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. So, certainly a statement here by DOJ that they are not
looking to continue to pursue bribery cases.
They did say in court filings that theyre not looking to walk back any of these other cases related to the FIFA bribery scheme, but certainly a big
moment for DOJ here, doubling down in court saying that they are not going to pursue this particular case involving bribery and that it is not a
priority -- Max.
FOSTER: Okay. Kara, thank you so much. Now, NBA ticket prices, meanwhile, shattering records as the New York Knicks head to the finals for the first
time since 1999, fans will be paying more than $3,400 per seat just to get in the door at Madison Square Garden for game three. That's 672 percent
higher than the cheapest ticket sold for game three last year. Would you believe?
Now, these days, we seem to know nearly everything about a president's life. But Joe Biden is going to court to keep one part of his life private.
Up next, what he doesn't want made public.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:40:48]
FOSTER: Former U.S. president Joe Biden is suing the Justice Department over its plans to release interview recordings between him and his
biographer. The court case is part of a simmering debate between the Trump administration and Joe Biden regarding how much privacy the former
president is due.
Now, the Justice Department is said to it plans to release the tapes next month.
CNN chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid is with me.
As I understand it, the former president says there's some very private material here relating to his son. It's very personal. He has a right to
privacy.
PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: That's right. These are conversations that he had with his ghostwriter around 2016, 2017. He's
advocated for privacy around these files because he said there's a lot in these tapes and in these transcripts about the death of his son and how
that informed his decision not to run for the White House in 2016. Now, right now, the dispute we're talking about, this is the Biden lawyers
trying to block the House Judiciary Committee from obtaining these tapes, and then potentially releasing them.
As you noted, this is part of sort of an ongoing battle between the Trump administration, the Trump Justice Department and the Biden camp in terms of
how much privacy Biden is entitled to. Now, the Justice Department has said it plans to release these tapes to congress on June 15th. But in a filing
last night, Biden's lawyers wrote that, quote, every American, including a sitting or former vice president, has a right to privacy. In the personal
conversations he has within his own home.
And when the U.S. Justice Department obtains that private information through a criminal investigation, the department bears a particular
responsibility to protect it from disclosure. Now, the criminal investigation they are referring to there is, of course, the investigation
into whether former President Biden mishandled classified documents. That investigation was closed without any charges being brought against the
former president. This is not, though, the only dispute currently being litigated over these tapes.
The Biden camp is also trying to block the Justice Department from releasing these to the conservative organization, the Heritage Foundation.
Now, that foundation is after these tapes, saying that there would be indications in these tapes that Biden was already suffering from a decline,
particularly mental decline. And that's why they want these records.
FOSTER: Okay, Paula, we'll see how it goes.
The former U.S. attorney general under Donald Trump says she is fighting cancer. Pam Bondi says she's undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer. And
she had surgery just weeks ago. Trump fired Bondi after months of frustration over her handling of the Epstein files, which have become a
major headache for the president. Trump was also privately upset over Bondi's failure to prosecute more of his political enemies.
But now were going to go to a daring and perilous escape. After three failed attempts, a Chinese dissident has successfully completed a 30-hour
crossing by sea to South Korea. He's trying to free or flee, rather, authorities and reach his loved ones.
CNN's Ivan Watson has his story for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A Chinese dissident is in South Korean custody after making a dangerous escape by sea
from China to the Korean coast.
The dissident in question is 68-year-old Dong Guangping. And I spoke with a family friend and a fellow Chinese dissident based in Canada who managed to
speak to Dong by telephone and this is what she had to say.
SHENG XUE, CHINESE CANADIAN ACTIVIST: He spent more than 30 hours to cross the sea and he said, oh, I was almost passed out when I got here. He said,
thanks, God, because he said also the engine of his rubber boat was broken at that time and so it was very dangerous for him.
WATSON: Dong Guangping was originally a police officer from Henan Province who lost his job decades ago because he co-signed a letter that was
commemorating the 10th anniversary of the deadly 1989 crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square and since then he's gotten in trouble and
been jailed for his human rights activism.
[15:45:23]
In 2015, he tried to flee China with his wife and daughter to Thailand and request asylum but Thai authorities returned him forcibly to China, where
he ultimately spent more than three years in prison. At the time, I interviewed his wife, who had been granted asylum in Canada and she accused
the Chinese government of kidnapping Dong.
He has made subsequent failed attempts to try to escape China, including trying to swim to an island off the Coast of Taiwan, where he lost his
bearings and was ultimately rescued by Chinese fishermen and returned to China. So now, after these repeated attempts and repeated jail sentences,
he's finally made it to the Korean Coast.
Now journalists asked China's Foreign Ministry about this at a regular press briefing about Dong's case and the officials there declined to
comment. South Korean authorities have confirmed to CNN that South Korean fishermen first spotted this small boat off of the coast and confirmed that
there was a Chinese man in his 60s that was on board.
His lawyer has confirmed his identity to us. The South Korean Coast Guard says that Dong is now arrested on suspicion of violating immigration law,
and his case will later be passed on to prosecutors.
In 2023, there was another dramatic case of a different Chinese dissident who made a perilous journey across the sea to Korea on a jet ski, at the
time he was equipped with little more than a helmet, binoculars, a compass and five cans full of fuel.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
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FOSTER: Coming up, the death of the Dead Sea. We'll examine the ecological disaster happening at the lowest place on earth, and the manmade causes
behind it.
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[15:50:01]
FOSTER: Caught on video, a massive tornado crossing through northern Mexico on Tuesday. This wedge tornado appears to have tracked through a
sparsely populated area, thankfully, and so far, no major injuries or structural damage have been reported.
The United Kingdom's former prime minister, Tony Blair, says the current government needs to prioritize cheaper energy over reaching net zero
emissions.
In an essay, Blair says officials need to focus on economic growth led by artificial intelligence. To do that, he argues, the country needs cheaper
energy, and Mr. Blair says the U.K. must make the most of remaining oil and gas resources in the North Sea, saying it's essential if the country wants
to be economically competitive.
Now in the Middle East, climate change is impacting the lowest point on earth and that is the Dead Sea. Scientists say the intensely salty body of
water is itself dying, shrinking annually for decades due to manmade causes.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more on the sea's alarming changes.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jake Ben Zaken is one of the only people licensed to operate a boat on the Dead Sea. And
for the last 12 years, that's what he's done.
DIAMOND: So you know it well?
JAKE BEN ZAKEN, FOUNDER, SALTY LANDSCAPES: Yes. I got to see all the faces.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Giving him an unparalleled view of one of Earth's natural wonders, the fast-moving environmental disaster threatening its
existence.
BEN ZAKEN: So every year, we get about new 7.5 meters of new shoreline because the sea is dropping.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The Dead Sea is dying. Its surface area has shrunk by about one-third in the last 50 years and its salt-encrusted shores now
stand as a testament to the rapid pace of change.
BEN ZAKEN: This is last year, two years ago. Every step, it's here.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Each step shows how much the sea level has dropped from one year to the next, at a rate of about four feet per year, like
nothing else in the world.
Dr. Yael Kiro has been studying the Dead Sea for over a decade.
DIAMOND: There's no other place on Earth like the Dead Sea?
DR. YAEL KIRO, GEOCHEMIST, WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE: No, no.
DIAMOND (voice-over): To understand why it is shrinking and what can be done about it.
KIRO: The main reason is because of the utilization of the water resources around the Dead Sea. This contributes around 60 percent of the drop.
And then there is the Dead Sea factories, both the Jordanian and the Israelis, that pump directly the brine and evaporate it in order to extract
minerals. And they contribute about 40 percent for the lake level drops.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Israel's Dead Sea Works and Jordan's Arab Potash Company pump tens of billions of gallons of water out of the Dead Sea each
year, evaporating much of that water to extract potash and magnesium, key fertilizer ingredients.
Some who want to save the Dead Sea have proposed building a pipeline and pumping water in from the Red Sea. Others advocate for replenishing the
Jordan River, allowing the water to flow naturally into the Dead Sea. But while ideas abound, government action is still missing.
The impact isn't just environmental. It's also financial. This graveyard of palm trees and graffiti buildings was once a thriving beach resort. The
road leading to it explains why it's been abandoned.
DIAMOND: Tourists used to take this road all the time to get to the Dead Sea but now sinkholes like this one line its path and the whole area has
been abandoned. And the concern is that more sinkholes will continue to happen as the Dead Sea drops and tourism will be severely impacted.
DIAMOND (voice-over): These sinkholes are caused by an underground layer of salt that is now dissolving.
DIAMOND: This sinkhole is a direct result of the Dead Sea water levels dropping?
KIRO: Yes. Since the lake level started to drop, this salt layer, instead of being exposed to the Dead Sea brine, it is exposed to more fresh water
and then eventually you get a collapse.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Aboard his boat, Ben Zaken says he sees new evidence of the Dead Sea's man-made decay every day and the uncertainty it spells
for its future and his own.
DIAMOND: What do you call all of this?
I mean, what we're witnessing, the way in which it's sinking, how do you qualify all of it?
BEN ZAKEN: You can say an ecological disaster, you know, because it is. And it's also a demographical disaster, because it is. And it's also one of
the wonders of the world, because it is.
You know, I qualify it as home.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the Dead Sea.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Meanwhile, Europe is experiencing a deadly heat wave with record high temperatures, temperatures soaring into the 30s in Madrid today,
whilst in France, seven people have died so far.
[15:55:02]
In Italy, more than a dozen cities are under an Amber Alert, and officials have declared a red alert for several on Thursday. The record highs are due
to a powerful heat dome, which is a phenomenon made more likely and more intense by human caused climate change.
Finally, tonight, Italy's Supreme Court says a luxury Italian hotel does not have the right to tap to serve tap water. It does not have -- I'm going
to clarify that because it was a bit complicated, does not have to serve tap water to its guests. Now, a woman who stayed at the five-star hotel
Sassongher sued after the hotel would only serve her bottled water. She paid for a package stay that did not include drinks.
During dinner, hotel staff told her its only served bottled water and that she'd have to pay around $8 for each bottle. She argued that water is a
universal right, but the court ruled that Italian laws do not require restaurants or hotels to serve tap water.
In England, Wales restaurants that serve alcohol are required by law to provide free tap water. But in mainland Europe, things are clearly very
different and changing.
I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Do stay with CNN.
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