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What We Know with Max Foster
Hezbollah Rejects Lebanon-Israel Ceasefire Plan; Rare Access Inside Lebanon As Hezbollah Vows To Keep Fighting; Sources: Bolton Reaches Plea Deal Over Sensitive Info; House Votes To Limit Trump War Powers In Rare Rebuke; Iran's Supreme Leader Calls For National Unity Amid War; Trump Announcing New Investments In Coal Industry. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired June 04, 2026 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:25]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: CNN's on the ground reporting into Hezbollah's role in Lebanon.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
Beginning this hour, there, where Hezbollah is rejecting the latest ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government. The group's
leader calls the deal, which was signed in Washington on Wednesday, an imaginary ceasefire and a roadmap to exterminate a segment of the Lebanese
people.
Israeli forces and Hezbollah traded strikes shortly after the latest truce went into effect. The IDF issued a new warning to residents of southern
Lebanon saying Israel will continue to target Hezbollah facilities in that area. The Iranian-backed Hezbollah is vowing to fight on until Israeli
troops fully withdraw from Lebanon. It's considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and Israel, but sees itself as a group of
resistance fighters going all the way back to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.
CNN correspondent Isobel Young gained rare access to find out why Hezbollah remains a powerful force.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So we're here in the Beqaa Valley, where Hezbollah still have a very tight grip on control. After months of trying,
we've managed to persuade a man who we believe is an arms dealer providing these weapons to Hezbollah to meet with us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Follow him. Follow.
YEUNG: That's the car.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, yeah.
YEUNG: She seems to be just off this road.
So we're now just going off the dirt track, struck by an airstrike.
Let's put the cameras down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you say?
YEUNG: I think she says she thinks --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You think this is the house?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
YEUNG (voice-over): We were asked to put our cameras down and not to reveal this location or the identity of this arms dealer, who says he's a
target for the Israeli military as they try to stop the flow of weapons entering Lebanon.
YEUNG: What is this?
ARMS DEALER (translated): This is a grenade launcher.
YEUNG: It's quite a lot of weapons you have here.
ARMS DEALER (translated): Yes, Kalashnikov, RPGs, projectiles, machine guns.
YEUNG: Who is it you're selling these weapons to?
ARMS DEALER (translated): We sell to whoever wants to buy weapons. I cannot give names.
YEUNG: I mean, if you're selling to people in the Beqaa Valley, I mean, could be working for Hezbollah, right?
ARMS DEALER (translated): Maybe. It is possible they are taking them to Hezbollah. But I don't know. I just sell the weapon, and they do whatever
they want with it.
YEUNG: You think that these weapons are needed to defend themselves against Israel?
ARMS DEALER (translated): Yes, of course. They shouldn't invade Lebanon. They crossed into Lebanon, they are causing destruction and killing
families.
YEUNG: And it never keeps you up at night that these weapons are obviously used to kill people?
ARMS DEALER (translated): Why should I be concerned?
YEUNG: I mean, there is obviously a war going on in this country right now. You're not worried that these weapons are helping to fuel that war?
ARMS DEALER (translated): I am far away. Let people do whatever they want with these weapons.
YEUNG (voice-over): Driving much of the demand for weapons is Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group designated a terrorist organization by the
U.S., U.K., Canada and others. Hezbollah is an incredibly secretive group, but we wanted to understand how they're still standing and what they're
fighting for.
After months of working with contacts on the ground, we gained exclusive access to key parts of the group and to those most affected by the war.
Hezbollah struck Israel in solidarity with the Hamas October 7 attack, triggering a massive Israeli bombardment across Lebanon, even since the
November 2024 ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of failing to withdraw from the border areas.
In March, Hezbollah fired rockets on Israel after Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran. This sparked a large-scale ground invasion, displacing over
a million people and killing more than 3,000, according to the Lebanese government.
Hezbollah's fight could be existential. Under pressure from the U.S., the Lebanese government has been trying to disarm the group. But Israel's
offensive has given Hezbollah new zeal, and it has vowed to fight on, despite heavy losses.
YEUNG: Thanks.
MOHAMAD ALI HAIDAR HASSAN, COUSIN OF HEZBOLLAH FIGHTER: This is my friend. His name is Hassan Mortado (ph). This is 2007. This is his sister, and this
is his sister. This is his grandfather, and this is his mother.
YEUNG: You know a lot of people who have died in here?
HASSAN: Yes. I know my another friend is there.
YEUNG: When did he die?
HASSAN: From three years, I think.
YEUNG: Okay.
HASSAN: In the Janub (ph).
YEUNG: Was he a fighter?
HASSAN: Yes, he's a fighter.
YEUNG (voice-over): Mohamad, from the Beqaa Valley, says he's not a member of Hezbollah. But he and many others here see the group as their best
protection from Israeli aggression.
YEUNG: This is your cousin.
HASSAN: Yes.
YEUNG: And he was fighting for Hezbollah.
HASSAN: Yes. But Hezbollah defends us, defends us and defends of Lebanon.
YEUNG: Does everyone here support Hezbollah?
HASSAN (translated): We all support Hezbollah. Their blood won't go wasted, God willing.
YEUNG (voice-over): Perhaps Hezbollah's greatest strength are the thousands of fighters willing to sacrifice their lives for the group. They
rarely give interviews to Western media.
YEUNG: We have managed to secure a meeting with a member of Hezbollah who's been fighting in the south of Lebanon for the last few months. And
he's agreed to meet us in a very remote location which we're heading towards right now.
Assalamu Alaikum.
HEZBOLLAH FIGHTER: Wa Alaikum Salam.
YEUNG: Why did you join Hezbollah?
HEZBOLLAH FIGHTER (translated): First, no family was spared Israeli attacks. Civilians are being killed. They want to take our land. They have
a plan to occupy our land to achieve their goal.
YEUNG: You've seen a lot of fighters die. How does that make you feel?
HEZBOLLAH FIGHTER (translated): This makes us proud. I envy them because they are martyred. Martyrdom is something we are proud of. This is our
doctrine, and we stick to it. We die defending our homeland.
YEUNG: Do you think that firing towards Israel and Israeli troops is going to create a safer Lebanon? I mean, surely that puts Lebanese people at more
risk, knowing that what the Israelis will hit back with.
HEZBOLLAH FIGHTER (translated): No, we are not responsible for this. We will never give up our land. In the end, we either get martyred or get
victorious.
YEUNG: But I guess it doesn't feel like that to a lot of people. It feels like Hezbollah is, you know, triggering and creating more war rather than
peace.
HEZBOLLAH FIGHTER (translated): If it wasn't for Hezbollah, there would be no peace in Lebanon.
YEUNG (voice-over): Not everyone agrees. Recent polls suggest that while most Lebanese view Israel as an enemy, even more are critical of Iranian
involvement in Lebanon.
Among those forced to flee their home is Mona Jahamy, a Shia Muslim schoolteacher from the southern city of Tyre.
YEUNG: So many displaced people across the whole of Lebanon. It's crazy.
MONA JAHAMY, HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER DISPLACED FROM SOUTHERN LEBANON: It's the most miserable displacement ever that happened in Lebanon.
YEUNG: This is an Israeli drone overhead.
JAHAMY: I can't see it, but we hear it.
YEUNG: We can hear it.
JAHAMY: We could have been better without getting involved in this war. What the hell did we have to do, put ourselves in the middle of hell?
In 2024, my house was almost devastated. It took me a year to reconstruct it, to redo everything. I haven't even took a deep breath, then another
war. This is too much. This is too much for the people of Lebanon.
YEUNG: You know, Israel are the ones who have displaced people, destroyed entire neighborhoods, killed thousands of people.
JAHAMY: We know that Israel is a very hostile and aggressive country, and it is highly and technologically armed. Nobody has doubts about this.
Take this example. There is a ferocious lion. I tell you, keep your hand away from the lion. He might bite you. He will bite you.
But you keep on teasing him. So he bites you, and more than that, you release the lion against everyone around you, okay? This is what Hezbollah
has done. Let the lion stay in its place.
YEUNG: What is your message to the Hezbollah leaders?
JAHAMY: Let us live in peace.
[15:10:03]
If you want to fight for Iran, go to Iran. But let us live in peace.
YEUNG (voice-over): Lebanon's government has tried to contain Hezbollah, and to stop it from attacking Israel. But its ability to do that is
limited. Many fear that a direct confrontation with Hezbollah risks igniting sectarian strife and even civil war.
NAWAF SALAM, LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER (translated): We're not seeking a confrontation with Hezbollah. On the contrary, I'd prefer to avoid a
confrontation with Hezbollah, but believe me, we won't be intimidated.
YEUNG (voice-over): For decades, Hezbollah has stepped in where the state has failed, providing health care, social services, security. Hezbollah
officials like Ibrahim Al Moussawi even hold seats in parliament.
YEUNG: The U.S. and Israel want Hezbollah disarmed. The Lebanese government itself also wants Hezbollah disarmed. What would happen if the
Lebanese government and the Lebanese military tried to do that?
IBRAHIM AL MOUSSAWI, HEZBOLLAH MEMBER OF LEBANESE PARLIAMENT: This will not happen, I can assure you. We want our army to defend our country. Your
army is not strong enough.
YEUNG: Hezbollah decided to enter this war on March the 2nd. You knew before starting this war that the Israeli response would be huge, that
thousands of people were likely to die, which they have. What made you decide that that level of human suffering, which we've witnessed over the
last few months, was worth it?
AL MOUSSAWI: I don't want to go into the philosophy of life and death here. The Israelis continue to carry aggression, so there was one point
when we have to respond to all of these aggressions. One, the Israeli- American war again, they started the war against Iran. We felt this is a proper window to respond.
YEUNG: Hezbollah strikes have killed several people in Israel. They've caused some civilian harm. They've also been targeting some civilian areas.
That has triggered a huge Israeli response, and we've seen thousands of Lebanese people killed. We've seen over a million people displaced.
AL MOUSSAWI: You know why is this happening?
YEUNG: Do you take -- do you take any responsibility? I'm going to ask you.
AL MOUSSAWI: Do you know -- do you know --
(CROSSTALK)
YEUNG: Do you take any responsibility at all for your actions on March the 2nd triggering the mass human suffering?
AL MOUSSAWI: Do you take any responsibility? Does your government take any responsibility? Does the American government take any responsibility for
unleashing the Israeli full mighty power of killing and making genocide? Do they do this? We're defending ourselves.
YEUNG: I'm asking you about your role in this movement.
AL MOUSSAWI: I'm asking you about right of resistance.
YEUNG: But you acted -- you acted on March the 2nd. I'm asking if your actions on March the 2nd bear any responsibility for thousands of people
killed, including hundreds of children?
AL MOUSSAWI: Absolutely not. The international community bears responsibility. America bears responsibility. When Trump is capable to
restrain the Israelis, the criminals, I believe the American administration hold the first and exclusively the responsibility for all of the killings
that happened.
YEUNG: But apart from appeasing Iran, what else has this war actually achieved? There has been a huge amount of mass human suffering.
(CROSSTALK)
AL MOUSSAWI: You're using -- you're using -- you're using the same equation, but in journalistic terms, that the Israelis are doing.
What the Israelis are doing? Simply, they, if you carry an operation or if you defend yourself against their incursion into a certain village, they'll
destroy the village, to tell you what. Never think to defend yourself again. Never think to stand up for the Israeli mighty force. I want to
break this cycle.
YEUNG: What would you say to the parents of the hundreds of kids who have died? What do they die for?
AL MOUSSAWI: I believe this question you should say to Donald Trump and to Benjamin Netanyahu: We are defending our people. Go back to the people who
are in the funerals and ask them, you're in Lebanon now, and you can see.
YEUNG (voice-over): Since March, around 200 children have been killed in Lebanon.
YEUNG: Just absolutely heartbreaking. There's body after body after body. Tiny little bodies, these ones having to be carried on the bed because
there's just only parts and remnants and pieces of them left.
YEUNG (voice-over): In just one strike in March, five children were killed, six-year-old Yasmina (ph), nine-year-old Malika (ph), 11-year-old
Sadiq (ph), 12-year-old Zahra (ph), and 13-year-old Zainab (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (translated): Were there any Hezbollah martyrs? We're a family. The people of the south do not bow down. Not to Israel, not to
America.
YEUNG: These kids obviously have been out of school since the beginning of the war. And this group now is trying to do some activities with them, try
to have some semblance of normalcy in their lives which have obviously been completely disrupted.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL (translated): While we were eating they started bombing so I got scared. I'm scared one of us will be killed.
YEUNG (voice-over): As the Trump administration tries to rein in both sides, the people of Lebanon are trapped between a die-hard militant force
backed by a newly emboldened Iran and the Israeli military, waging a brutal war.
YEUNG: What would you say to the people who have power over this war right now?
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL (translated): God didn't create you to do this to us. Children can't continue their education or do anything, you have ruined our
lives.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: U.S. President Donald Trump's former national security adviser expected to plead guilty over his handling of sensitive national security
information. Sources tell CNN, John Bolton, who is now a staunch critic of President Trump, has reached a plea deal and has agreed to pay a more than
$2 million fine. President Trump has long been calling for Bolton to be arrested over his 2020 memoir, which was highly critical of the president.
CNN's Katelyn Polantz has more from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: John Bolton is expected to plead guilty to one criminal count of mishandling or retaining
national security information, classified information that he would have received when he was the national security advisor during the first Trump
administration. So that top job, it put him in the Situation Room. It put him inside SCIFs. It gave him briefings about very sensitive subjects that
he was learning as the national security advisor for Trump.
And Bolton in this case, when it was charged last October, he was alleged to have essentially written himself diary-like entries of his time serving
for President Donald Trump, and he was then emailing those diary entries to himself with classified information in them and then having them printed
out and kept in his home.
When the FBI searched his home last August, they did find documents marked secret or confidential classified documents, and now, the case is going to
end with Bolton pleading to one count of retaining national classified information.
A significant situation for the Justice Department because Donald Trump has so disliked John Bolton since he left, was fired by the Trump White House.
He also had written a book after he was in that position as national security adviser, a memoir that Donald Trump had tried to block him from
publishing.
This case, though, it had been investigated for some time. There were hackers that got into Bolton's e-mail and it became known to the FBI that
it was possible Iran had access to some of this classified information that Bolton had taken for himself. So it resulted in 18 charges against him. Now
he's pleading down.
But it is something that could still carry a stiff penalty for John Bolton. This would be a felony charge. And with this felony charge, he could face
prison time somewhere up to 16 months in prison. That'll be determined by the judge, as will a fine he will pay, although sources are telling me that
the fine could potentially be as much as two million or more than $2 million. That would be a very steep amount for Bolton to be paying in a
case like this, the national security case.
But it is a big day for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Maryland, having carried this investigation through the Biden administration into the
charges in the Trump administration. And now with Bolton agreeing to plead guilty, a court hearing is set for him at the end of June.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Katelyn Polantz there.
Now coming up, a vote-a-rama drama. As the Senate holds a marathon voting session, President Trump faces backlash from within his own party.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:22:07]
FOSTER: U.S. President Donald Trump is finding out the hard way that Congress won't always do what you want. Last night, it voted to limit his
war powers in Iran, with four Republicans crossing party lines. If passed by the Senate, President Trump would be required to either withdraw troops
or get the approval of Congress for the war.
In the past couple of hours, Senate Republicans rejected efforts by Democrats to formally kill President Trump's push for a $1.8 billion anti-
weaponization fund, but it was a close call, failing by only 49 to 50, with three Republicans siding with Democrats.
And there could be a battle ahead over President Trump's pick to lead the Department of Justice or the man he wants as America's director of national
intelligence.
So what we want to know is, has President Trump lost control of Congress?
Joining me now, Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
Larry, thank you so much.
Are we seeing the same Republicans voting against Trump every time? And what do we read into that movement?
LARRY SABATO, POLITICS PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Mainly it's the same ones, but gradually, Max, it's growing. It's growing as we get closer
and closer to the fall and the midterm elections. And why is that? Because more of these Republicans are seeing in their own private polls that
Trump's unpopularity is dragging them down, too. And those who aren't taking private polls are seeing those of their colleagues, and they're
becoming very concerned. Some incumbent Republican senators have gotten some shocking poll results privately in the last few days, and even one
public poll from another network showing that this incumbent from Iowa was eight points behind his Democratic challenger.
FOSTER: This is the one that was backed by Trump?
SABATO: Yes, the Republican was backed by Trump. He's an appointed incumbent. But look, Ohio is one of Trump's best states. He won three times
in a landslide, all three presidential elections. And it's one of the last places where you would expect Republican incumbents to lose. So this is
significant.
FOSTER: So tell us, is this attached to specific issues or is it a broad anti-Trump sentiment?
SABATO: Well, it may be broad, but they're not going to attack on all fronts. They're not completely foolish. And we're also not through all of
the primaries.
There are plenty of primaries to come, and you never know when Trump is going to decide to engage.
They're picking the unpopular parts of the Trump agenda, like the war with Iran, which is now incredibly tied with Vietnam as the most unpopular war
America has been in, in the modern era and Vietnam was popular for years This one was unpopular -- the war with Iran was unpopular on day one when
they first launched it.
[15:25:02]
So that's one thing and then of course affordability, the high costs of gas and food and everything else. It's really presenting an agenda of problems
for Trump. And Republicans don't want to inherit it, although I think they will anyway.
FOSTER: Because obviously, there's a fear that you would lose Trump's support if you spoke out or voted against him. But you're saying that what
happened in Iowa is making people question that. Maybe we can, you know, maybe his support, you know, isn't, you know, the shoe in that we thought
it was. And in fact, it could be working against us now.
SABATO: Yes. And remember, when they get past their primaries, they really don't have to worry about Trump all that much anymore. Trump can't defeat
them in a general election. He can only defeat them in a primary. In fact, if they criticize Trump after the primary, they're more inclined to win the
general election.
So these dynamics are working against the Trump administration, and I think they will continue to.
FOSTER: What about the Democrats? Obviously, they speak out. I was speaking to a group of people today, quite international people today, and
they keep saying, where are the Democrats? I think what they're saying is, who is the figurehead? Who do we latch onto? Because obviously, the
Republicans do have Trump.
Is there an issue there?
SABATO: Well, there is no Democratic figurehead that really leads. You have party leaders in Congress, but they don't have the kind of popular
support needed to counteract Trump. There are some governors who maybe have running for president in mind, whether it's Newsom, Governor Newsom in
California, or Governor Beshear in Kentucky, and many others who can do some of that.
But basically, this is a thumbs up or thumbs down election. And the thumbs up or thumbs down is on Donald Trump more than it is on any specific
Republican or any specific Democrat.
FOSTER: Okay, Larry Sabato, as ever, thank you so much.
Still to come, Iranians pay tribute to the founder of the Islamic Republic. Our Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran for you with that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:30:25]
FOSTER: Hezbollah is refusing to accept the newest ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon. The group's leader is calling direct negotiations
between the two a farce and insult. Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah exchange fresh strike shortly after ceasefire talks ended in Washington on
Wednesday. The IDF says Hezbollah launched rockets at Israeli troops today in southern Lebanon.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem, has more on what appears to be a truce in name only.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: What we are seeing today are the potential cracks in this ceasefire agreement, in part because Hezbollah
is not directly involved and because Hezbollah is now rejecting this ceasefire agreement quite publicly.
Hezbollah's leader, Naim Qassem, saying that the ceasefire would amount to surrender, defeat, and achieving the enemy's goals. He is vowing that as
long as Israel remains in southern Lebanon, quote, "The resistance will continue". And he even called on the Lebanese government to halt these
direct negotiations with Israel, calling them an insult.
And this is critical because this ceasefire agreement depends not only on Hezbollah ceasing its fire against Israel, but also on Hezbollah actually
removing its forces from southern Lebanon to allow for a situation where basically Israeli troops would begin to withdraw from certain areas and the
Lebanese government, the Lebanese military would instead move into those areas that would be free of any Hezbollah forces or Israeli forces and
begin to kind of reassert its sovereignty over southern Lebanon.
And so that is the road map that was laid out yesterday by the United States, Lebanon and Israel, but achieving it is obviously something else
altogether, particularly when you don't have the overt support or acceptance of this plan by Hezbollah, which is the main non-state armed
group in southern Lebanon.
We are seeing, however, that Hezbollah for now doesn't seem to have carried out in recent days any significant attacks against northern Israel. They're
still carrying out strikes, however, against Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. Israel also carrying out strikes in southern Lebanon, but for its
part has not hit the Lebanese capital of Beirut.
So all of that is holding for now. And it seems like we're back to the kind of mild detente between these two sides that we were at, you know, over a
week ago. The question is whether that's going to be for Iran, which has basically threatened that if Israel carries out strikes against Beirut,
keeps up its attacks, then that will mean Iran will once again begin striking Israel. All of this, of course, critical to the broader diplomacy
that President Trump is trying to achieve vis-a-vis Iran, where we still don't have a clear timeline on when or if the two sides will actually reach
a broader agreement.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: The supreme leader of Iran is calling for national unity as peace talks with the U.S. remain then in flux. In the latest written statement
purportedly released by Mojtaba Khamenei, he urges Iranians to stay steadfast and refuse to, quote, "echo the enemy's narrative". Statements
attributed to the 56-year-old have been read on national television or posted on social media. CNN has reported that U.S. intelligence believes
that Khamenei is playing a critical role in shaping Iran's war strategy.
Now, Iranians are paying tribute to the founder of the Islamic Republic on the 37th anniversary of his death. CNN's team is on the ground in Tehran
covering the event and hearing from Iranians firsthand. We should mention that CNN operates in Iran only with the permission of the government, but
maintains full editorial control of its reports.
Here's Fred Pleitgen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're at an event here in Tehran to mark the death of the founder of the Islamic
Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini. And as you can see, a lot of people have turned out here to pay their respects.
Now, in this year, as Iran is in this conflict with the United States. Of course, this event also has a special meaning for the people who have come
here. There's a lot of people that we are seeing who are waving red flags that say revenge on them, because, of course, there are still a lot of
people here who want revenge for the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and that's also something that was voiced here by
the crowd.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We don't trust America, never.
PLEITGEN: Never?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Ever.
SEYYED AHMAD KHOMEINI, AYATOLLAH KHOMEINI'S GREAT-GRANDSON (through translator): There is no reason for the Islamic Republic of Iran to grant
concessions. We have no reason to back down from our position.
[15:35:00]
We were not defeated in war, nor have we been defeated in diplomacy. We demonstrated that we are capable of resisting and that we are highly
resilient.
We were not defeated in war, nor have we been defeated in diplomacy.
PLEITGEN: At the same time, of course, the context that all of this happens in is extremely important. There are talks that are going on
between the U.S. and Iran, where both sides say they are trying to get to a memorandum of understanding that would then pave the way for broader peace
talks to try and end the war between Iran and the United States for good.
Also, though, of course, the security situation, especially in the Persian Gulf, remains extremely volatile, with the U.S. hitting some targets on
some Persian Gulf islands. The Iranians, for their part, saying that they were hitting targets affiliated with the United States in places like
Kuwait and in places like Bahrain, as well.
So, the security situation very volatile, the ceasefire very fragile. At the same time, both sides say that they are trying to find a way out of the
impasse.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: The Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy has proposed meeting Vladimir Putin directly to end the war in Ukraine. In a direct letter to
the Russian leader, Mr. Zelenskyy says the United States is not currently focusing on ending the war due to the Iran conflict. He says that the two
leaders should meet in either Switzerland, Turkey, or an Arab country. Mr. Zelenskyy also proposed an all-for-all exchange of prisoners of war.
In the final moments of trade on Wall Street, the Dow's had another record- breaking session. It's currently up more than 1.5 percent as we approach the closing bell.
This is our Business Breakout.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has accused Elon Musk of trying to whip up division in the United Kingdom. Musk has been outspoken in criticizing
British authorities for their response to the murder of Henry Nowak last December. Mr. Starmer says Musk is trying to interfere with British
politics.
Musk could soon become a trillionaire, meanwhile, after SpaceX confirmed the details of its upcoming move to go public. The company's initial public
offering will see shares debut at $135,000 each, valuing SpaceX at more than $1.7 trillion. That will make it the biggest IPO in history.
Chairs in Broadcom have tumbled after the company's earnings left investors unimpressed. The chip maker is down more than 12 percent, wiping hundreds
of billions of dollars off the company's value. The news has also pulled down other chip companies, including Nvidia, Qualcomm and Intel.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was forced to defend the deal struck between Donald Trump and the Justice Department that would prevent the U.S.
president or his family being investigated over their tax affairs. Scott Bessent appeared before the House Ways and Means Committee earlier. He
previously said he's unable to comment on that deal with Mr. Trump and the IRS, but one House Democrat tried to pin the treasury secretary down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. LINDA SANCHEZ (D-CA): Do you believe that people who lie on their tax returns should be audited?
SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Okay, do you think that people who break our laws should be held accountable, our tax laws?
BESSENT: Yes.
SANCHEZ: OK, thank you. Very simple. Not a hard question. I'm glad we agree.
So why is it that you are allowing President Trump to have complete immunity from being audited?
BESSENT: Again, I'm going to have to refer you to my previous statement.
SANCHEZ: What was your previous statement, sir?
BESSENT: I am unable to comment on any of the ongoing litigation.
SANCHEZ: OK, can you name the ongoing case concerning President Trump's immunity from audit?
BESSENT: Sorry?
SANCHEZ: Can you name --
BESSENT: There are three cases --
SANCHEZ: Can you name them please?
BESSENT: -- that are out there now, and I will be happy to get them back, get back to you on those, because again, I am not a lawyer.
SANCHEZ: Okay.
BESSENT: Representative, we are represented by the DOJ.
SANCHEZ: Great. You said that you can't because there's ongoing litigation. You'll get me the name of the ongoing litigation, because the
only ongoing litigation that I know of is surrounding the $1.8 million slush fund, which has already been suspended.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Still to come, President Trump invokes a Cold War era law to bolster the U.S. coal mining industry. You're looking at live pictures.
We'll have some details coming out of that meeting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:42:25]
FOSTER: While many parts of the world are focusing on clean energy, President Trump could use emergency powers to bolster the U.S. coal
industry. At an Oval Office event happening right now, Trump is expected to announce major federal funding to upgrade American coal-fired power plants,
so White House officials tell CNN there are also plans to build a massive coal export terminal.
Kristen Holmes joins us from Washington.
It's going to be controversial, but I guess it speaks to that broad energy policy, Kristen.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and President Trump has been talking about building out this industry, talking about
making the U.S. self-reliant on energy. The administration has tried to frame these fossil fuels as critical as they build up these A.I. data
centers. So this will take part or at least be part of that.
This is a $700 million investment into the coal industry. And a lot of that is coming from the Defense Production Act. This is -- they're talking about
$425 million to fund and support coal mines that already exist. It's $75 million from the same Defense Production Act fund for construction of coal
export terminal, as you mentioned in California. And then a grant from the Department of Energy in the tune of $200 million to rebuild and restart
coal plants in Alaska, West Virginia, and Maryland.
We're listening to President Trump now waiting to see if he does take questions on this. It is going to be controversial, but it's also something
that he ran on, this idea of bringing back the coal industry. He also just likened it to China, saying that they are still building out coal plants.
We know that he is constantly comparing himself to President Xi and, of course, the U.S. to China in their production.
One of the things to keep in mind here, it's not coming at a time in a vacuum. What we're expecting is reporters to ask some pretty serious
questions about several various issues that are happening. Most of them are going to end up happening on Capitol Hill, but President Trump's plans to
nominate the acting attorney general, Todd Blanch, to be the permanent attorney general. This idea that he has tapped Bill Pulte, who has no
intelligence experience, to lead the DNI and oversee basically 17 intelligence units and oversee the intelligence program in the U.S.,
something that Republicans are pushing back pretty hard on.
And what we've heard before about this kind of fund from the Department of Justice that Todd Blanche has said doesn't exist anymore, but President
Trump says that he hopes still exists, that had a lot of pushback on Capitol Hill, too.
So those are just some of the questions we're trying to get answers on today from President Trump while he makes this big $700 million investment
announcement.
[15:45:00]
FOSTER: Well, we wait to hear more from it.
Kristen, thank you so much.
Todd Blanche maybe -- well, may officially become the U.S. attorney general. At a private White House dinner, President Trump announced that he
will nominate Blanche for that role. He's been serving as acting attorney general for two months since his predecessor Pam Bondi was fired. Blanche,
Trump's former personal attorney, has secured indictments against some of the president's personal foes, including former FBI Director James Comey.
He's also rolled back gun control measures and issued subpoenas to journalists for their sources.
Still to come, New Yorkers go crazy as the Knicks close out game one of the NBA finals.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:48:16]
FOSTER: Countdown is well and truly on for the start of the FIFA World Cup. Just a week to go until an expanded World Cup featuring 48 teams gets
underway in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Mexico will host the tournament's first game this time next week when they play South Africa in Mexico City.
There is an unlikely star emerging ahead of this year's World Cup. It's not Lionel Messi. or Cristiano Ronaldo, but a previously little known player
from New Zealand who has in recent days found online fame.
CNN creator Matias Grez has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TIM PAYNE, SOCCER PLAYER, NEW ZEALAND (translated): Hello, everyone. Thank you very much for all your support.
MATIAS GREZ, CNN CREATOR: How do you go from being one of the least known to one of the most famous players at the World Cup and in only a matter of
days?
Well, that's exactly what happened to Tim Payne. He is, or should I say was, a little known footballer from New Zealand. About a week ago, Payne
had around 4,000 followers on Instagram. In just over 24 hours, that number had grown to a million. Now, it's more than 4 million.
It all started with a video from Argentine content creator Valens Scarsini.
He made a video explaining that he went onto the Instagram profile of every player going to the World Cup to see who had the fewest followers. He
determined that to be Payne, and in a video that now has around 15 million views, he urged everyone to go and follow the Kiwi defender and comment on
and like his posts. That means Payne's posts have gone from having a couple of hundred likes to hundreds of thousands of likes.
PAYNE: I think by the time I woke up the next morning, you know, there was hundreds of thousands of followers. So, yeah, it's pretty crazy.
[15:50:00]
Probably as everyone can tell, like I'm not massive on social media. So for that to happen is a bit strange for me.
GREZ: He's even had an incredibly catchy song made about him, seemingly by A.I. in the style of an Argentine football charm.
(MUSIC)
GREZ (voice-over): The lyrics say this will be Payne's World Cup and not Lamine Yamal's, and dubbed the Kiwi is the spiritual successor to Argentina
legend Angel Di Maria.
Tim Payne has blown up so much, he is now one of the most followed accounts in New Zealand. More than the country's world famous all Blacks rugby team,
more than Hollywood stars Russell Crowe and Taika Waititi, and more than F1 driver Liam Lawson.
And just to give you an idea of how big that number is on an international scale, Tim Payne now has more followers than 12 of last season's Premier
League teams. But what's the reaction been to Payne's newfound fame back in New Zealand?
JAMES MCONIE, NEW ZEALAND BROADCASTER: It's been madness, really, and kind of exciting. He's closing in on Lord and Israel Adesanya. Tim Payne is
taking over. Speaker 19
GREZ: I've kind of, you know, seen some people maybe saying it -- it could be a distraction for him and the team. I mean, do you see it like that
going into the World Cup?
MCONIE: Oh yeah, it's a massive distraction. He's only human and his DMs will be blowing up. I'm not -- I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if surely
Shakira. and Pitbull have slid in there just to collab or something.
GREZ: Yeah, actually, I wanted to ask you about that. What can you kind of tell me about what he's like as a person?
MCONIE: He's kind of lovable. He's a total animal on the pitch. People describe. He's a hard worker. He's tough.
He doesn't dive like Neymar. I'm not throwing shade here. He just doesn't. He's not a diver, you know?
He's salt of the earth. He's always been a great bloke to deal with. Can I just say as well that I was one of Tim Payne's followers from day one? I
was one of the 4,000. Weirdly, even I interviewed a kid today, and they're aware of Tim Payne. He's just made that indelible mark now.
GREZ (voice-over): And with a week to go until the start of the World Cup, Tim Payne met the man who made him world famous.
VALENS SCARSINI, CONTENT CREATOR: My friend. How are you all?
PAYNE: I'm good. Lovely to meet you. Nice to meet you.
GREZ (voice-over): How much more famous will he be after the tournament kicks off?
PAYNE: And also, one more thing I've got, to present just like as a thank you, you know, for everything.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: CNN creator Matias Grez there.
Now, game one of the NBA Finals lived up to all the hype as the New York Knicks outlasted the San Antonio Spurs. In Texas on Wednesday, in a back
and forth contest, the Knicks secured an all-important victory on the road to extend their playoff win streak to 12 games. Knicks star Jalen Brunson
finished with a game-high 30 points as the Knicks won 105 to 95.
Then there was this moment when a fan rushed the court with a cell phone in hand to try to take a selfie with the Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. Now,
the fan was immediately taken off the court, and the NBA says he was arrested and will be banned from games for life.
Meanwhile, back in New York, there are plenty of other rowdy fans to be found.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
FOSTER: Even though the game was played almost 2,000 miles away from New York, these were the scenes of Madison Square Garden as the Knicks returned
to the finals for the first time since 1999.
Our Omar Jimenez, joining the action.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the reaction after a game one win in the NBA Finals for the New York Knicks. We have been outside Madison
Square Garden throughout all of this.
And look, if you doubt any of the enthusiasm, even for an away game for the Knicks, look no further than the crowd that gathered over the course of
this game.
But I want to show you what we've been seeing over the course of this as a celebration really begins here in New York City -- it's the beginning of a
long series. You know that if you're a basketball fan. But you can't tell the people here who have been chanting Knicks in four for hours.
I was talking to them beforehand. They were saying Knicks in four beforehand, too. So this is just the beginning. They got a game one. It
came down to a back and forth game throughout all of it.
But the excitement in New York City is the chance to do something they have not done in over five decades now that they are back in a place they have
not been in more than two decades.
So moving forward, like we said, is a long series, but the enthusiasm here -- it is not going anywhere. It's not going anywhere.
You can't go far. This is New York City.
[15:55:00]
Back to you guys.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: We lost him.
Finally tonight, an emotional milestone with a very special visitor. This is the moment when a cancer patient finishing their treatment in
Manchester, England, was visited by the Princess of Wales.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CATHERINE, PRINCESS OF WALES: Well done. Well done you. Please don't worry. What a journey. You need to have one. Yeah. Well done. What an
amazing day. What an amazing --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Catherine there coming to visit The Christie, one of the biggest cancer centers in the U.K. to speak to patients, families and staff and she
was there when this particular patient marked the end of her treatment in style.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
FOSTER: For the moment, Catherine herself has spoken in emotional terms about her own journey recovering from cancer. She said today's visit was a
powerful reminder that healing is about so much more than treatment alone.
I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Do stay with CNN.
END
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