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What We Know with Max Foster

Sources: U.S. And Iran Finalize Text On Tentative Deal; Israel's Attacks On Lebanon Intensify; Five People Trapped In Laos Cave Found Alive, Two Still Missing; WHO Chief Urges Ceasefire Ahead Of DRC Visit; Mexico Ramps Up Public Health Capacities For World Cup; Sources: U.S. Justice Department Investigating E. Jean Carroll. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired May 28, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:27]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Will the U.S. president sign off on a deal with Iran?

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

U.S. officials saying that Washington and Tehran have finalized the text on a tentative peace agreement. Now, President Donald Trump must decide

whether to sign off on the deal.

Here's what the treasury secretary had to say when asked about it in the last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY: The teams have been going back and forth. And President Trump has made it very clear. He talked about it at

the cabinet meeting that he has several red lines.

And Iran has to turn over their highly enriched uranium. They cannot pursue a nuclear weapon. And the Strait of Hormuz -- back to your question on

energy -- has to free transit. Navigation of the seas has to be free and open as it was before.

So, he's not going to take a bad deal. He's going to make a great deal for the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Despite those diplomatic developments, the U.S. and Iran are still exchanging military strikes. American forces struck Iranian drones close to

the Strait of Hormuz in what an American official says was self-defense. U.S. Central Command says Iran then launched a missile attack towards

Kuwait, which was intercepted.

Let's go straight to senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak.

So, Bessent was bouncing away these questions about Iran basically saying that, you know, there's not going to be a deal until we've dealt with this

nuclear issue, which is the ongoing narrative, Kevin.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right. And I think he was also making the point as well, Max, that if President Trump hasn't signed

off on this deal, you don't have a deal, which I think is a fair assessment, given what we understand about the dynamics of this

negotiation. And I think we should also point out that the Iranian supreme leader, by our understanding, has also not signed off on this agreement.

And so I think he's trying to tamp down on the idea that we are at the cusp of this war being over permanently, or at least for the, you know, 60 days

that they will extend the cease fire.

But all of that said, the indications that were getting from sources is that the text of the deal, at least according to the people who have been

negotiating it, is at this point, finalized. And so that is an advancement. You know, that's more than where they were at over the weekend or even

earlier this week. And it gives you an indication that the diplomacy is progressing, even though you continue to see these skirmishes occur in the

Strait of Hormuz. And even as you hear both sides in their public rhetoric are really try and harden some of their demands.

And you saw Scott Bessent doing that in the briefing today, or at least reiterating some of the presidents own very firm red lines, be it that Iran

not be able to obtain a nuclear weapon or that it commit to giving up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. You know, I think the most salient

points from Bessent because he is the treasury secretary, had to do with sanctions and the idea of financial relief for Iran. If this deal proceeds,

either through lifting some of those sanctions or unfreezing some of the assets, and it seems evident that Iran is part of these negotiations, is

looking for some commitments from the United States on that front in order to proceed with this discussions.

But I think Bessent made pretty evident that that would only happen once some of these nuclear issues are, if not resolved, then at least committed

to during the talks. And so whether that's enough for the Iranians, I think, remains to be seen.

There was an interesting moment when Bessent was asked, when it comes to the financial relief, whether that would include pallets of cash, a clear

reference to the Obama era nuclear deal that saw Iran receive some of its money that had been frozen because they were not connected to the banking

system, it had to be delivered in literal pallets of cash. He sort of deflected that question. But its almost certain that President Trump is

acutely aware of the optics if that were to happen and seems very optimistic that he will avoid that particular outcome.

And so it does appear if at the moment we are at a place where the deal is coming together, but it's also a moment when it could very easily just fall

apart if either of these two leaders decide it's not something that they can sign off on. And so in a way, we're in the same place we've always

been, which is just waiting to hear that this is all done and dusted.

FOSTER: Kevin, at the White House, thank you.

[15:05:01]

Israel ramping up its military campaign in Lebanon, meanwhile. The IDF launching its first strikes in Beirut in weeks. One source tells CNN the

IDF targeted a commander in Hezbollah's missile unit, the Iranian backed group has been launching drones at Israeli forces on both sides of the

border between the two countries, and Israel is pushing for even greater control of Gaza amid a very shaky ceasefire there.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has directed the military to take over 70 percent of Gaza, a dramatic expansion of the demarcation line

brokered under the deal. It's a move that will force even more of Gaza's two million Palestinians into ever shrinking areas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Right now, we are tightening our grip on Hamas. Yes, we are now in 60 percent of

the territory in the Gaza strip. We were at 50 percent. We moved to 60 percent.

My directive is to move to take it step by step. First of all, 70. Let's start with that. We are tightening our grip on them from every direction,

and we will deal with the remnants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Oren Liebermann joins us from Jerusalem.

I mean, it almost sounds like complete occupation. Some people are saying. I mean, how would you describe what's happening here

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, that's the direction this is going. And frankly, if you listen to that sound bite of Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier today, that's what the crowd was calling for 100 percent control of Gaza, as well as some of the far right

ministers in the government have pushed for resettling and taking over all of Gaza. As of the ceasefire agreement from back in October, Israel was in

control of about 53 percent of Gaza. The eastern side of it essentially, but slowly and gradually, Israel expanded that, pushing the yellow line, as

its called, the demarcation line, further and further to the west and taking over more of Gaza.

According to an Israeli military map that was provided to humanitarian aid organizations late last month, that number stood at Israel, controlling

some 64 percent of Gaza, so nearly two thirds. And here now, Netanyahu is talking about taking over even more of the territory. And even though it's

not a great area between 64 percent and 70 percent, it's what it means.

First, it means that the cease fire itself will be far more difficult to put into place. Hamas has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire by

occupying and seizing more and more territory in Gaza. The ceasefire itself was supposed to have Israel gradually withdraw from the territory it held

in Gaza as an international force came in to secure that that land, except that international security force is nowhere to be seen.

And it's not clear if we'll ever see it. And in that absence, Israel has not only taken more and more land, it has also carried out near-daily

strikes in Gaza as we see a rising number of Palestinians killed as a result of those strikes after the ceasefire. That's the situation that we

see right here as, as Netanyahu suggests, he might not even stop at 70 percent from what he said earlier today, Max.

FOSTER: In terms of what's happening in Lebanon, that's the ceasefire that appears to be falling apart.

LIEBERMANN: Absolutely. Israel has broadened its attacks there, not only in southern Lebanon now, but also in the Beqaa Valley. And there was a

strike earlier today in the Lebanese capital of Beirut. That's the first we've seen there in weeks.

According to an Israeli source, the target there was one of the commanders of Hezbollah's missile unit. The last time Israel struck Beirut was on May

6th. That's when the target was the commander of Hezbollah's elite, Radwan Force. The Israeli source says this was carried out in coordination with

the United States, this latest strike in Beirut.

The U.S. had previously and still has largely prohibited Israel from striking Beirut as it tries to move forward. A broader cease fire agreement

between Israel and Lebanon, and at least for now, the White House is still trying to make that happen. Tomorrow, the U.S. is set to host Israeli and

Lebanese military representatives at the Pentagon. They've already hosted three rounds of talks between the ambassadors. What's missing here, of

course, is a broader agreement that really puts a ceasefire in place.

FOSTER: Oren, thank you.

In Laos, specialist divers searching for the two remaining people trapped in a flooded cave, and rescuers have already found five of the seven

missing villagers. Their next challenge is to safely guide the group out of that cave.

Let's give you Mike Valerio's report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'd say the primary aim to get these people out of the cave system is to pump as much water as possible

out of there, because rescuers figure that the five men and the two people who still remain missing were able to get into the depths of that cave

before the flood waters came rushing in. If they're able to get the water that came rushing in more than a week ago out of there, amazingly, the team

is saying that these five men who have been found should be able to get themselves out of there with the assistance of the cave divers.

We want to share with you some of the most compelling moments that came through Facebook today with one of the cave divers from Thailand, Norrased

Palasing.

[15:10:08]

He's a veteran of the 2018 Thai soccer team rescue. He shared on his Facebook page what it was like to meet the five men for the first time when

they were perched on that ledge.

Let's watch and then listen to what one of the survivors said to that rescuer. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NORRASED PALASING, DIVER (translated): There are people here to help now. The important thing is that you're alive, it's OK. It's OK. You've done

very well, don't cry.

SURVIVOR (translated): Okay, okay. My name is Ing. Don't worry, mom, the rescue team has reached us now. We're safe, I miss mom and dad so much. We

will probably get out tomorrow or the day after.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIO: So I want to show you one of the reasons why this is going to be so challenging -- 60 centimeters, 23 inches. This is one of the smallest

cave entry points which rescuers are going to have to try to squeeze their some themselves through.

And they've told us that in order to get through that small space, they've had to exhale as much oxygen as possible, squish their bodies through that

space, and also take off their equipment, reach through the opening, and then put the equipment back on again, making things even worse are also

pockets of hydrogen sulfide, which is a toxic compound and makes it more difficult for you to breathe even in high quantities, working to shut down

your respiratory system.

So we're told that when the moment is right, oxygen tanks will have to be put throughout this cave route so that when these five individuals, and

hopefully the two others will be found as well, when all of these men are able to make their way out of the cave, they will have clean oxygen, oxygen

from those tanks to breathe.

Mike Valerio, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: The World Health Organization's top official is urging a ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He's traveling to the DRC to explain

and -- well, to support frontline health workers, and is urging armed groups to stop fighting at least long enough to let health workers through.

The country has now reported more than 1,000 suspected Ebola cases and more than 230 deaths, on top of armed conflict, mass displacement and hunger.

Kenyans aren't happy with Washington's plans to build an Ebola treatment center in their capital. The facility is meant to quarantine U.S. citizens

who may have been exposed to the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

But even top officials with America's own CDC don't think it's a good idea. That's according to a CDC source working on Ebola response operations. And

CNN has reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services for comment.

CNN did speak with people in Nairobi

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERAH NJOROGE, NAIROBI RESIDENT: I kind of feel like that's a little bit off and not a bit fair for the host, like us being the host. Like, why

would you create a facility within my country? And it doesn't serve me yet the same facility is going to host people who are endangering my own life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Countries near and far from the DRC are taking measures to stop Ebola from crossing their borders. The World Cup is raising even more

concerns about the spread of the virus globally. FIFA estimates that 6 million tourists will travel this year to attend the games in the U.S.,

Canada and Mexico.

Valeria Leon has more on what Mexico is doing to prepare.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just days before the World Cup kicks off, Mexico is preparing for something far less visible than

security threats, a potential disease outbreak.

Health officials are now on alert as the Ebola outbreak raises global concerns.

I met with Jalisco state health secretary, Hector Perez, to talk about the preparations.

HECTOR PEREZ, JALISCO HEALTH SECRETARY (translated): We need to be prepared for epidemiological contingencies. To protect the population of

Jalisco, but also all visitors. We estimate approximately three million people will come during the tournament.

LEON (voice-over): The new health measures include airport screenings, reviews of travel itineraries and recommendations for isolation

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, PRESIDENT OF MEXICO (translated): At the airport, they receive all the necessary instructions for isolation procedures and health

screening. Visitors are advised through travel agencies to isolate for 21 days beforehand.

LEON (voice-over): The DRC team is currently in isolation in Belgium and is set to play in Jalisco on June 23rd.

[15:15:00]

Authorities are also preparing for more common medical issues, with drills simulating large scale medical emergencies and rapid response scenarios

ahead of the tournament.

MONTSERRAT OLVERA, HEALTH MINISTRY NURSE (translated): Dehydration, heat stroke, diarrhea, we are also focused on prevention because weather

conditions can cause people to become dehydrated, and we want to avoid overwhelming hospitals.

LEON (voice-over): Secretary Perez says Jalisco has invested around $4 million to expand its medical capacity ahead of the tournament.

PEREZ (translated): We're going to have two mobile hospitals, including one at the Fan Festival location, where we expect up to 80,000 people a

day.

LEON (voice-over): Mexico's main focus had been security for fans and teams, but the Ebola outbreak has also led to an increased focus on public

health preparations ahead of the World Cup.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Guadalajara, Jalisco

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now, Kenya is grappling with tragedy in the Rift Valley, where 16 students died in a fire in the dormitory of a girls' school. Students say

the fire started in the upper part of the building, blocking the exit for some of the girls, 79 other students were injured and taken to hospital,

though most have now been released. The country's education minister says the cause of the fire is still being investigated.

Now still to come, she beat the U.S. president in court. Now, Mr. Trump's prosecutors are coming after her. Our report on the political retribution

when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Now to a story that was first on CNN. It involves the woman who won two lawsuits against U.S. President Donald Trump.

[15:20:04]

Now she finds herself being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department. Sources tell CNN the DOJ has launched a criminal probe into E. Jean

Carroll. Carroll won millions from Mr. Trump after suing him for sexual assault and defamation. The investigation on Carroll focuses on whether she

lied under oath when she testified that she did not get outside help to finance her lawsuits.

Let's get more on this from CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson.

Thanks for joining us, Joey.

Just explain what they're focusing on here, what she said. And you know, what we know about her financing.

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yeah, absolutely. And so what happened was, as you mentioned, the two civil lawsuits, what were they? There were

two civil lawsuits, one alleging, this was way back in 1996, that she had an encounter with the president of the United States. He wasn't president

then and that she was sexually assaulted.

We know that there was a jury verdict with regard to that particular case for $5 million, with a jury saying, hey, in fact, you were sexually

assaulted at the time and you were defamed because there were statements that were made by the then private citizen, Trump. It was 2022 in which he

went on Truth Social saying that this was a hoax, et cetera.

So she got that $5 million. She didn't get it. But the jury certainly awarded it.

And then there was the subsequent civil trial. And in that civil trial, this was purely about defamation and these defamation statements occurred

when Trump was president in 2019, saying some inflammatory things about her, not his type, et cetera, pure hoax, you know, continuing. And that was

an $83 million verdict.

And so, she ultimately has these particular judgments that have not been paid out. They're being held up.

Now as to the issue of what the false statement was, there she sat for a deposition, depositions are a type of testimony that you give under oath.

No judge around, but attorneys ask you questions prior to trial with regard to the issues that the trial is about, she was asked a question as to

whether or not there was anyone funding the litigation. She said no. It was later determined that, in fact, a billionaire was funding her litigation.

However, I would point this out, Max, and that is that these issues were made known after the civil verdicts were awarded. There was an appeal by

Trump's team to a federal circuit court in New York. That's the Second Circuit.

This was made known in terms of the discrepancy. This was the discrepancy was made known to the trial court before the appeals court. And both the

trial court and the appeals court felt that it was not an intentional misrepresentation at all. And so based upon that, now you have this

Department of Justice probe that is probing whether or not these were false statements, whether they were perjury, and if, in fact they were perjury,

do they constitute a crime? And so that is the analysis around the Department of Justice investigation into this, and a determination as to

whether or not she lied under oath when she sat for a deposition.

And again, no judges, no jurors around at the time of deposition. But you do raise your hand and you swear to tell the truth. And the issue will be

whether or not that's perjury or whether it was something she just forgot or was not an intentional misrepresentation, or whether she knew at the

time because she was not handling her personal finances relating to the litigation, what her attorneys were doing.

FOSTER: So would this create a new case, a criminal case against her, if it went to its later conclusion, potentially, or could it undermine her

previous cases against Trump?

JACKSON: So it could. It could undermine those cases in a significant way. Why? Let's start there. Right now, as I noted, there's a $5 million

judgment as it related to her alleged no longer alleged the jury rendered a conclusion not in a criminal context, but in a civil context that he fact,

in fact, sexually abused her at the time that there was defamation when he denied it, right? And therefore they rendered a $5 million verdict.

Again, the next trial that occurred subsequent to that was the allegation that and again, no longer an allegation. The jury said, you did defamation,

and that was a defamation When Trump was president, the award was $83 million. When you appeal those things, Max, in terms of the verdicts, you

have to put a bond up for the money.

So there's this pot of gold waiting for her to get, but she only gets it after the appeals process is exhausted. So when you talk about undermining

her cases in the event that this criminal probe bears fruit, and in the event she's indicted in the event convicted? Unlikely. But if it happens,

then you could kiss bye-bye, right, this judgment that is waiting in this pot but has not yet been released to her.

And so people have asked the question, Max, as to whether or not this is political retribution or something else. You could say it's political

retribution, absolutely, based upon what we know that Trump is doing with his enemies. But there's also a very big monetary piece. If the Department

of Justice investigation results in her prosecution and conviction, she loses all of that money.

[15:25:05]

There will be motions filed by Trump's team saying that as a result of this particular criminal conviction, if it goes that far, again, unlikely. She

in fact -- it taints the civil verdicts. And so, the civil verdicts would become no more. So there's a lot riding on this. You could call it

retribution, or you could call it the president looking after his money and not wanting to spend a dime on the verdicts that were awarded by both

jurors in both contexts, in both cases.

FOSTER: We'll see what happens. Joey, appreciate it. Thank you.

JACKSON: Always.

FOSTER: Still to come, the board said his conduct was unacceptable. Now, BP's former chairman says its lies. The boardroom battle at BP isn't going

away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: We continue to follow the potential deal between the U.S. and Iran. U.S. officials say the text on a tentative deal to open the Strait of

Hormuz has been agreed upon. But U.S. President Donald Trump has to sign off on it. Now, the news comes after a new round of attacks between the

U.S. and Iran, and the U.S. military says Iran launched a missile attack towards Kuwait, which was intercepted.

What we don't know is, will President Trump actually sign off on this proposed Iran deal?

Joining me now is Bilal Y. Saab, senior managing director at Trends U.S., and a former Pentagon official in the first Trump administration.

Thank you for joining us.

I mean, it's confusing, isn't it? Because we're told that the U.S. has agreed to this initial outline sort of agreement, as it were. But that the

president hasn't agreed to it yet.

[15:30:00]

What do you think is happening here?

BILAL Y. SAAB, FORMER PENTAGON OFFICIAL, FIRST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: Well, the uncertainty also applies to the Iranians. I mean, my understanding is

that their senior level leadership is also looking at the final details of this. So, I got to be honest with you, I'm not exactly sure what is it left

there to really, look over? I think you hit the nail on the head. I mean, the broad contours of a deal are right there. All of that -- this deal will

do, essentially, and I hate to call it a deal. It's more like a license or a ticket to negotiate over the next 60 days. And, you know, there's all

sorts of stuff that can still go wrong in that period.

FOSTER: One of the sensitivities, obviously here is that President Trump, the key issue is, nuclear, you know, not being able to develop a nuclear

weapon. And from what we understand, from what we heard from the Iranians, this outline wouldn't deal with that. It would just open the negotiations

to nuclear discussions, as it were. So it's not in there at all at the moment, is it? Which is going to be the sensitive part for many Republicans

in Congress?

SAAB: Precisely, right. I mean, look, the objective of Iran not having a nuclear weapon sort of is broad enough to allow for diplomacy to get to

into some kind of a, you know, an agreement that would actually verify that, that would lead to that outcome. But there is an immediate issue here

now, which I think President Trump is looking for some answers to, is it might just be that reason why he's still sort of waiting on signing off on

this agreement, which is the very fate of the existing, highly enriched uranium that is in Iran.

And so he wants it out of the country, except that we don't have an agreement on how that's going to be done. What is the vehicle, what is the

mechanism that the Iranians are going to use to ship that stuff out of the country?

I mean, for some time they were saying, maybe we can send that stuff to China. I'm not sure how much China itself is on board with that. I don't

know, I'm not sure how much they coordinated with the Chinese. And I suspect that President Trump is not going to be happy with that proposal

anyway.

So there's an immediate issue, right? And then there's the long term issue of verifying that the Iranians never produced -- develop a nuclear weapon.

And that's precisely the reason why over 60 days, they're going to try to figure out how to get to that.

FOSTER: That's a red line as well, isn't it, for the Iranians. So is the best answer for Donald Trump at this point. Try to get this straight opened

up with this outline agreement, and then start the talks about nuclear. And do you think he'll go for that?

SAAB: That's what's been put on the table. I'm not -- I'm not in the minority here to say that this seems like a very advantageous deal. If it

were to be signed for the Iranians, I mean, consider what we started with before we started shooting. You know, from total surrender to regime change

to putting some serious limits on the ballistic missile arsenal, rupturing relations with regional proxies. I mean, you name it, we had a laundry list

of concessions.

And look at where we are now, where we sort of gradually lift our own blockade in the strait. And then they lessen their control and allow some

shipping and so on and so forth. There's very little, frankly, that gives us much confidence that, the initial and most important reason why we went

into this war, which is the nuclear stuff, we haven't gotten any real credible answers to.

So the fact that President Trump is entertaining something like this right now, frankly, is mind boggling. And I wouldn't blame anybody for saying

that. This is starting to look like a strategic defeat, to be honest.

FOSTER: And if he feels that and he doesn't sign it, there are other repercussions, though, aren't there? Nothing moves on at all.

SAAB: Yeah. Well, I mean, you could resume military action. Obviously, that's a -- still on table. The president himself has mentioned that

himself. You could also tighten the screws economically. And the President Trump feels very strongly whether he right -- whether he's right or wrong

that the Iranian economy is in freefall, including its currency. So, all options are still on the table.

But -- I mean, we've entertained some pretty serious, and meaningful military action over 40 days, some intense bombing against the Iranians.

And they were quite resilient. And they survived that.

I mean, I'm pretty sure some hawkish voices in Washington are going to say, well, if we target more facilities and more launchers and we can exact more

concessions from the Iranians, maybe we could do it much better next time around.

[15:35:02]

I just don't know if that's true. We have to entertain the diplomatic option here. And despite all its limitations and flaws, and except that,

you know, this is a price that we're going to be, you know, we're going to be paying because of how much we underperform throughout this entire

process.

FOSTER: Bilal Y. Saab, really appreciate it. And explaining what Donald Trump is, is facing as he looks at this agreement that we've seen of so

far.

Anyway, thank you.

SAAB: My pleasure.

FOSTER: Well, the Trump administration has claimed repeatedly that U.S. and Israeli strikes have obliterated Iran's arsenal of missiles. But a CNN

investigation using recent satellite imagery shows Tehran is quickly digging its way back into underground stores of weapons temporarily blocked

by air attacks.

CNN's Tamara Qiblawi reports with analysis from Thomas Bordeaux (ph).

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAMARA QIBLAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are recent satellite images of Iran's missile bases taken after the start of the ceasefire with

the U.S. and Israel. Dump trucks and excavators digging through piles of rubble along the mountainside but it's what lies beneath the surface that

makes this significant.

A vast stockpile of missiles trapped by U.S. bombs and likely intact, according to weapons experts, with satellite images showing Iran quickly

regaining access to them, casting doubts on U.S. president Donald Trump's claims of having all but vanquished Iran's formidable rocket arsenal.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Their ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed and their weapons factories

and rocket launchers are being blown to pieces. Very few of them left.

QIBLAWI (voice-over): CNN previously identified the pattern of U.S.- Israeli strikes to put Iran's missile complexes out of commission, not by destroying them but by blocking the tunnel entrances leading in and out of

them. Leaving the rockets trapped inside and severely hampering Iran's ability to wreak havoc on U.S. allies in the region.

But that was only a temporary solution. Iran is already undoing the effects of that strategy. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has acknowledged that Iran

has been repairing the damage.

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: You are digging out your remaining launchers and missiles with no ability to replace them. You have no defense

industry.

QIBLAWI (voice-over): But the recovery is widespread and it is happening quickly. CNN looked at 69 tunnels across 18 underground missile bases. At

least 50 of those access points appear to have been cleared and many others are being repaired.

Take this base in Western Iran. Just weeks ago, U.S.-Israeli fighter jets destroyed all four entrances to the underground complex but now two of them

appear wide open. The roads needed to wheel out its trapped rocket launchers repaved and Iran is already in the process of clearing the

remaining two.

It's also repaired some of the more than a dozen craters left behind by U.S.-Israeli munitions. The craters indicate that a large amount of

firepower was used to destroy just two tunnel entrances and all Iran needs to reopen them dump trucks and bulldozers.

As Iran rallies around the missiles that survived the war, weapons experts say it will continue to come up with new ways to protect its arsenal from

any renewed U.S.-Israeli bombing.

Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: In response to a request for comment, the Pentagon referred CNN to a previous statement. America's military is the most powerful in the world

and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the president choosing. We have executed multiple successful operations across

combatant commands whilst ensuring the U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests.

Now it's the final moments of trade on Wall Street, and stocks are more or less flat. The Dow got an early boost from reports that a deal between the

U.S. and Iran was close, but has otherwise struggled for direction.

This is our Business Breakout.

Oil traders are betting that a deal is close between the U.S. and Iran. U.S. gas prices fell by 3.3 cents on Thursday. Whilst it may not sound like

much, it's the biggest one day drop since the 2008 financial crisis. The national average now stands at $4.43 a gallon, nearly 50 percent up on

where it was before the start of this war.

Meanwhile, gas prices have helped drive U.S. inflation to a three year high. Prices rose 3.8 percent year on year in April. Energy, food and

housing were amongst the main factors. Although Americans didn't cut back on discretionary spending like restaurants.

Donald Trump has refiled his lawsuit against the publisher of "The Wall Street Journal" over its report about a birthday letter sent to Jeffrey

Epstein bearing Mr. Trump's name. The U.S. president's earlier lawsuit was dismissed last month after a federal judge ruled that Mr. Trump had failed

to allege that "The Journal" acted with actual malice.

[15:40:07]

The new lawsuit seeks $10 billion in damages.

The chairman of BP is not going quietly, despite being fired by the board. Albert Manifold has made a lengthy statement claiming that recent

allegations about him are lies after the board voted unanimously to fire him on Tuesday, saying they had serious concerns about his conduct.

Hanna Ziady from CNN Business joins us now.

I mean, you know, initially he was just sent off. And these executives normally get some sort of deal and they go quiet, but really not in this

case. He's written quite an extraordinary piece.

HANNA ZIADY, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: He really has, Max. This is real boardroom drama and highly unusual for the chairman of a FTSE 100

company to do this, to issue this sort of statement, which really highlights, I think, just how far apart BP and Manifold appear to be on

what has actually transpired here. BP declined to provide any further details beyond citing, as you mentioned, serious concerns about his

conduct.

Manifold for his part in this nearly 800-word statement didn't directly address some of the allegations that other media have reported around

bullying. But he did, as you say, talk about lies that have been told about him. Also saying that he disputes entirely the characterization of his

conduct.

He did, though, Max, have some interesting things to say about his own personal efforts to cut costs at BP almost, I think, suggesting that that

may have made him unpopular at the company. And I will quote some of what he said here. So sort of playing his own part in keeping costs down. He

said he had no interest in having a dedicated -- dedicated, chauffeur driven limousine on the occasions that he was in London.

I, he said, like most people walked, took taxis and trains. I had no interest in taking private aviation, nor in availing myself of corporate

tickets. I made my own coffee, he said. Bought my lunch in the local cafe. I sat in a small office, eschewing the grand corner office privilege of

previous chairman.

So he made much of the fact, Max, that he really had this focus on streamlining operations, streamlining the board, making BP more efficient.

And he said that that may have, you know, caused him to I think he said, you know, call out some colleagues directly. But, you know, he's totally

disputing the way BP has characterized his conduct.

FOSTER: He's almost saying that he's the one being bullied here. Whereas the accusation from lots of sources is that he was bullying people, right?

But then there's this other factor that you've got the -- it was a completely unanimous decision on the board.

ZIADY: Right. So it does raise questions, Max. And I should add that, you know, CNN has not been able to verify these claims of bullying. But other

media reported, including "The Financial Times", that several whistleblower complaints, alleged bullying, also that perhaps he had overreached and

tried to play the role of an executive chairman, which really means somebody more involved in the day to day operations of the company.

Again, he described that as, quote, "nonsense," saying, I think he's only spent around 13 days at the office this year so far. And he did say, I'll

just quote him here that, you know, it may have been possible in his determination to drive change on costs and performance, that he pushed hard

and challenged people directly. But he said there's a considerable distance between that, driving an organization with urgency and the conduct that is

now being put about.

But as you rightly point out, it's very serious for BP to have taken this step. And the company did not respond to a request or question from CNN as

to whether they actually put these allegations to Manifold before removing him as chair. They didn't comment on that. This is perhaps worth

mentioning, the latest leadership upheaval at BP.

The company is now on its third chief executive in just six years. So kind of a fresh headache from that point of view.

But the current chief executive, Meg O'Neill, is the first female CEO to lead the company. I think it's worth mentioning, and also the first

outsider to lead BP. So she hadn't -- she hasn't come up through the ranks. She came from Australia's Woodside Energy. It does seem as though there is

more positive momentum, I would say, behind BPp, the share price is up 20 percent or so so far this year. Of course, it is getting a profit windfall

from the Iran war. Like other oil companies, analysts saying that this announcement has come as a surprise and is unusual, but saying that the

operational improvements at BP are starting to show. So it does seem as though the company is on perhaps a stronger footing going forward, Max.

FOSTER: Interesting. Hannah, thank you.

Still to come, a shock at the French Open. Men's world number one Jannik Sinner crashing out in dramatic circumstances.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:48:00]

FOSTER: Well, it really was a huge shock today at the French Open. World number one Jannik Sinner losing a five set thriller against Juan Manuel

Cerundolo in the second round. Now Sinner was odds on favorite to win at Roland Garros, but appeared to struggle in those sweltering temperatures.

Don Riddell is with me.

It's one of those stories that really broke out of the sports pages.

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Absolutely, Max. To say that this was an upset would be quite the understatement for many reasons. I mean, first of

all, Sinner, as the world number one, no world number one has exited the French open this early since 2000, more than a quarter of a century.

Secondly, he came into this tournament having won his last 30 matches. He was on a five tournament winning streak. And those were masters series

titles. So huge winning streak, and everybody thought he was going to win this because, well, he was red hot. But also his great rival, Carlos

Alcaraz, is sidelined with a wrist injury, so it seemed like it was there for the taking.

And then, most significantly, in this match, he was up two sets and five one up in the third. That's about as in the bag as it could possibly be.

But at that point, Sinner started saying that he felt as though he was dizzy. He said he wanted to vomit.

And everything just went south after that point. And as you say, Juan Manuel Cerundolo took over and won the match in five.

It seemed as though he was the reason. I'm sure Max, on your show, you've been covering the insane temperatures in northern Europe over the last week

or so. Sinner, when he spoke about it afterwards, seemed to suggest it wasn't necessarily the heat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANNIK SINNER, 4-TIME MAJOR WINNER: Woke up this morning, didn't feel very well, and tried to keep the points very short most in the beginning I was

hitting very clean, very good. And, um, and then I just kind of hit the wall and I didn't have energy really.

I was very, very flat, you know, the whole, the whole body and don't remember last time I felt this week, you know, but yeah, look, it's -- it

is what it is.

[15:50:09]

I mean, I try to stay there. I'm with all -- I had today and this was the maximum I had, of course, a pity because I was playing really well the

first couple of sets and also the third set was playing really well, but yeah, that's the sport.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: Sinner was hoping to win at Roland Garros. And if he were, if he did do that, he would have completed the career grand slam, winning all

four majors. So Sinners gone. Alcazar never showed up the way you would now think is wide open for Novak Djokovic.

Remember, he was the last guy not named Sinner or Alcaraz to win a major tournament. That was the U.S. Open at the end of 2023. He has been

desperately trying to win what would be a record 25th grand slam tournament, and these two guys always get in the way. He's felt for some

time because he's 39 years old now that he could maybe beat one of them in the tournament, but not both, because playing one just takes so much out of

him. Now, they're both gone. He's into the third round. Could this be Djokovic's year? Keep watching.

FOSTER: You've got a busy summer ahead, Don. Thank you.

RIDDELL: All right.

FOSTER: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Former U.S. First Lady Jill Biden is speaking out about Joe Biden's troubled debate performance against Donald Trump in his bid for

reelection. Joe Biden infamously stumbled through the debate, sparking widespread calls for him to drop out of the race just months away from

Election Day.

Jill Biden says she was frightened watching the debate as it unfolded, and she worried that the then president was suffering a stroke.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

INTERVIEWER: Were you horrified as you saw it unfold?

JILL BIDEN, FORMER FIRST LADY: I wasn't horrified. I was frightened because I had never, ever seen Joe like that before or since.

INTERVIEWER: Never since?

BIDEN: Yes or since.

INTERVIEWER: You've never seen him --

BIDEN: Never, no.

INTERVIEWER: What happened?

BIDEN: I don't know what happened. I mean, when I -- as I watched it, I thought, oh my God, he's having a stroke. And it scared me to death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Now a rare albino buffalo has been spared from sacrifice due to a last minute government intervention in Bangladesh. The buffalo gained viral

fame thanks to what many say is his resemblance to Donald Trump. You can see the distinctive golden tuft of hair, the Trump buffalo has been sold

for the slaughter, but the Bangladeshi government stepped in and now the golden buffalo is safely at the national zoo in Dhaka for all to enjoy. Do

go and visit him.

Finally, this hour, police in Texas go on a wild kangaroo chase. This is Bingus, apparently. Waco police say he went on an unexpected walkabout on

Monday morning. Officers safely captured the runaway roo and returned him home.

After a short pursuit, the Waco police department joked that a similar escape happened last year, so theyre now calling these roo-tine patrol

operations. Thankfully, both Bingus and the officer were unharmed if exhausted.

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

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