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What We Know with Max Foster
Trump Says He'll Release Text Of Tentative Iran Agreement Soon, But Doesn't Give Details; Trump: Netanyahu Must Be "More Responsible" Over Lebanon; Trump Urges Russia To Make A Deal To End War; U.K. Defense Ministry Investigating Report Of Russian Warship Firing Warning Shots At Yacht In English Channel; Eight Crew Killed In B-52 Bomber Crash In California; Nearly Half In U.S. Don't Identify With Two Major Parties. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired June 16, 2026 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:29]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Donald Trump still keeping a tight lid on the Iran war agreement.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
The U.S. president is leaving world leaders guessing about an agreement only one and a half pages long that's meant to end nearly four months of
war with Iran. Today at the G7 in France, Mr. Trump declined to give details of the memorandum signed electronically with Iran, but says he
could release it within days. Even Israel, which waged war on Iran alongside the U.S., has been kept in the dark, and we are learning that is
by design.
A source tells CNN the U.S. rejected an Israeli request to see the document, partly because it feared Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would
leak it. Mr. Trump says the deal would ensure one of Israel's biggest concerns is resolved.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The one thing that's happening that's of note, frankly the only thing that really matters to me,
is Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. And it says it loud and clear. They're not going to develop it. They're not going to buy it. They're not
going to do anything with it.
And if they do, they suffer unbelievable consequences. Not just a little bit like -- I won't even tell you the consequences, but the consequences
are the ultimate consequences.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: U.S. Vice President Jamie Vance says the Trump administration has fundamentally transformed the U.S. relationship with Iran.
Here's what he told CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Fundamentally, the way the president has set up this deal is that the benefits of the bargain only
accrue again if Iran actually complies. We're not talking about rewarding words. We're talking about changing the way that we deal with Iran based on
their actions. And number two, fundamentally, it is a much different group of people. The president of the United States has said this before, but let
me just -- let me just give some detail to that. If you think of like the last 47 years of American relations with Iran, we have never had this level
of direct or indirect coordination. We've never had this level of direct communication between the highest levels of their society and the highest
levels of our political leadership. So something has fundamentally transformed. Can I say with 100 percent certainty that they're going to
meet every obligation of this bargain? No, of course not, because I can't predict the future. What I can't say is that we structure this deal in such
a way where their benefits only accrue if our benefits accrue as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Let's bring in Melissa Bell at the G7 Summit.
Melissa, they must be quite baffled by this. I'm sure everyone wants to see it so they can make their own judgments, but a lot of mystery here.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There have been so many questions over the course of the last couple of days from these
leaders, but also some of the other leaders who've been here, the Middle Eastern ones as well. And yet the American president has remained very
tight-lipped. He is waiting, he says, for a formal setting within the next couple of days. We'll be able to read it out to the press if we wish.
We now know it's going to be signed, should be signed in Lucerne on Friday if nothing derails it. And you're quite right. It is a document insofar as
the text is known only by a very few people that really raises so many more questions than it gives us answers to, not least even looking ahead to the
60-day negotiation period and what happens afterwards.
President Trump has said that the navigation in the Strait of Hormuz will start again, that the Americans will lift their blockade from Friday. What
happens to the idea of fees that the whole world is united in saying Iran should not be levying on boats going through the Strait of Hormuz and
Tehran is even now insisting that it will be levying on those ships.
And what of that $300 billion Arab fund that we understand is part of this memorandum of understanding? It is understood that the United States wants
that reconstruction money to come from the Gulf States, the Arab states. They do not appear -- and certainly in the discussions and the transcripts,
the verbatims that we saw today at no point seem to suggest that this is something they've agreed to.
So there are so many outstanding questions out there. And yet I think what's interesting tonight is to look at what this positive note on which
President Trump arrived at this meeting is allowed to achieve, a much warmer G7 than anyone could probably have hoped for before he came and
before the events of last weekend, discussions on Ukraine, agreement on Ukraine, including the idea that further pressure is needed in the shape of
sanctions from the G7 on Moscow, the idea from President Trump that it is time that Moscow agree to peace.
There were -- there was also this of sanctions from the G7 on Moscow, the idea from President Trump that it is time that Moscow agree to peace.
[15:05:07]
There were -- there was also this message from Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, as things wrapped up for the day,
saying, look, ships are going to be going through Hormuz, this crisis is going to end, this is what diplomacy does, really suggesting in a very
positive turn that she at least had been convinced, seduced by the idea that there was enough in this document to allow her to hope.
So, sketchy details since it was announced. Not much more is known about the actual text, the whole page and a half of it, Max, but definitely a
very different mood at this G7 than I think there would otherwise have been.
FOSTER: Yeah, it's been interesting. Melissa, thank you so much.
Well, President Trump has harsh words for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile. The U.S. President says he's not happy about Israel's
recent attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon. Mr. Trump is looking to strike a deal with Iran, whilst Iran insists any ceasefire must include Lebanon. The
president spoke about his frustrations just a short while ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I'll tell you what, Israel's fighting Hezbollah too long, and too many people are being killed. And you don't have to knock down an apartment
house every time you're looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they're not all Hezbollah, that I can
tell you. And I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah. Because to be honest with you, I think they'd do a better job of doing it.
Without me, there would be no Israel, because no other president was willing to do what I did. I've had a great relationship with Bibi, but now
Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: There are plenty of wild cards that could sink a final U.S.-Iran deal. Perhaps the biggest is Lebanon, where Israel launched new deadly
strikes just today.
Jeremy Diamond explains why the gap between the U.S. and Israel appears to be getting wider.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: In so many ways, the lines have been drawn by the various parties about the way forward for this U.S.-
Iran agreement and what each side is and is not willing to do. But there's still uncertainty about how the different sides will interpret the actions
of the other and ultimately separating the rhetoric from actual action.
And on that front, you have the Israeli statements. They will not withdraw their thousands of troops that are currently in southern Lebanon from
Lebanese territory. That was said by the defense minister, by the Israeli prime minister himself, and we are also seeing on the ground that Israeli
attacks in southern Lebanon are continuing with four people killed. in multiple Israeli strikes that took place in southern Lebanon in one town
square and also on a vehicle in a neighboring village.
Then you have what the Iranians are saying. The Iranians are vowing that this war, the broader regional war, will not end until the war in Lebanon
ends, until, first of all, Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon and until Israeli attacks in Lebanon stop as well.
What we don't know yet is whether or not what Iran says is it would be a violation of the memorandum of understanding would lead them to carry out
attacks against Israel or to, you know, abandon this newly crafted deal with the United States. From the U.S. perspective, that one is also
important as well, of course. And the U.S. is indicating that an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon is not necessary. But what you do have is
President Trump saying that the Israeli prime minister, and by extension the Israeli government and its military, must act more responsibly in
Lebanon.
The president even went so far as to suggest that perhaps Syria, the Syrian government, should be involved in taking care of Hezbollah in Lebanon
instead of Israel, who President Trump said is taking too long and even suggested that is causing more civilian casualties than are necessary in
southern Lebanon.
But U.S. officials have suggested that there is latitude for Israel to carry out actions that they deem to be in their own self-defense in
Lebanon. But the way in which the United States is going to define that from the way Iran is going to define that are going to be two very
different things. And so we see now, as we have seen at so many different points in this negotiation between the United States and Iran, that
ultimately, Lebanon is a linchpin of this agreement, and it is the one over which the United States has the least control, increasingly so, it seems,
as the relationship between President Trump prime minister has grown increasingly strained.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Jeremy Diamond there.
Now, recent focus on the Iran war has drawn attention away from efforts to end the war in Ukraine. At the G7 summit, though, in France today, as
Melissa was saying, President Trump said Russia should make a deal that will end the war. It comes just after Russia struck nearly 1,000-year-old
monastery.
[15:10:01]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls this deadly attack in the heart of Kyiv, quote, "One of Russia's most serious crimes against
Christian culture to date."
Nick Paton Walsh has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Russia's savagery against Ukraine always seems to find new depths to sink to. Last night, one of Ukraine's oldest churches, the Kyiv Pechersk
Lavra, founded nearly 1,000 years ago, rocketed.
Almost certainly the target here, it sits quiet and alone on Kyiv's woody riverbank. Ukraine's plight getting less attention during the U.S. war with
Iran, but raging still.
Nightly attacks across Ukraine as fierce as Moscow can manage, but not massively more effective, instead becoming more grotesque against the
people and culture their invasion falsely claimed it wanted to save.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: When we go now to G7 meeting, first topic, you see what is the priority. The priority is air defense.
WALSH (voice-over): Russian officials have claimed U.S. President Donald Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a congratulatory 80th
birthday call in which Putin called him such a bright, remarkable person that he will pressure Ukraine and Europe at the G7 to agree to Russian
terms for a deal.
But European officials see Russian desperation and weakness amid their outrage at these strikes and an opening, as Russia stalls on the front
line.
JEAN-NOEL BARROT, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): For us French, this would be the equivalent of bombing Notre Dame or Saint-Denis,
something that is obviously unacceptable.
FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): Ukraine today finds itself in a new position of strength. Russia cannot win militarily.
And, moreover, its economy is in dire straits.
WALSH (voice-over): Ukraine's deep strikes into Russia, like those we witness here, have caused huge damage and embarrassment. Some Kremlin
allies have suggested Putin may now realize the war is going badly, or at least slowly, with a Western estimate of half a million Russian dead.
Even Putin, whose hometown was hit in early June by drones during a key meeting, briefly admitted to economic damage last week.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): As for the economy, yes, we suffer some damage, but everything is recovering quickly.
They will not be able to create serious problems for us, but keeping in mind what they are doing, we should retaliate appropriately.
WALSH (voice-over): And so the strikes across Ukraine keep coming, even as Ukraine's defenses improve against drones, but struggle with the ballistic
missiles Moscow is throwing at them to make the desperate point it is not losing.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Now, the British military says it's investigating reports that a Russian warship fired warning shots at a yacht in the English Channel. The
incident comes just two days after the UK military intercepted an oil tanker in the channel suspected of having ties to Russia's shadow fleet.
Authorities are so far not linking the two events though.
CNN's Seb Shukla has more details on this.
I mean, this could have happened for many reasons, I guess, but the very idea of it happening in the English Channel has really shaken people here.
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Yeah, it has. And it's a part of British waters that sees a lot of activity, naval, military activity. We've seen
Russian vessels traversing the strait there quite regularly, including this particular frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich, which has been through the
English Channel some six times already this year. But this incident could have been much worse, too.
The incidences about what happened here is starting to be clarified. very slightly we have from the Russian ministry of defense they put out a
statement recently which is putting their side of this incident forward which is that there were three stages the first one which was that they
attempted to make contact with this vessel which is known -- which has been called the bright future vessel this is the yacht the civilian vessel that
is the center of this, they tried to make radio contact that didn't elicit any change in course they sent signal flares That elicited no change in
course either.
And then when this vessel was about 150 yards away, they fired a single small round and then that prompted this yacht to move away. The British
military, for their part, have released a statement saying that they are looking into this incident. They have sent one vessel, the HMS Mersey,
which had been tracking this Admiral Grigorovich ship through the channel anyway, had been out there in the first place, and then they sent another
one to go on a fact-finding mission just to try to establish exactly what happened.
It is our understanding that the Bright Future, that small vessel is now continuing unimpeded on its journey wherever it was going in the first
place, but highlights once again that the choke point that this particular channel and strait between the U.K. and the European mainland has and the
importance it has for Russian vessels traveling through it.
[15:15:16]
That can be escorting ships harmlessly through a strait like this, but could also be transporting and moving those shadow fleet vessels, which we
saw happening on Sunday, which prompted the British Navy and military to board that ship and then take it because it feels or the British Navy felt
that it was part of this shadow operation moving illicit Russian oil around the planet and is something that European nations have been doing more and
more frequently recently as they look to try to bolster their stance to be more aggressive, to be more positive against the Kremlin because they see a
changing tide on the Ukrainian battlefield and they feel that sanctioning ships like this is very important.
But on this particular instance, it could well have been much, much worse. What we are glad to see here, obviously, is that there have been no
injuries, no casualties, and there was no damage reported, and that it may well just be an isolated incident.
FOSTER: Okay. Seb, I appreciate the update.
Now, meanwhile, an exiled Russian artist best known for his caricatures targeting President Vladimir Putin has been killed in what authorities
believe was an execution. Police in Poland say they've arrested two Belarusian citizens in connection with the death of Semyon Skrepetsky.
Fearing political persecution for his anti-Kremlin activism, the artist moved to Poland five years ago.
Military officials are investigating what caused a B-52 bomber to crash at a California air base on Monday, killing all eight crew members. The
mammoth military plane was on a routine test mission when it went down shortly after takeoff. The crash left a smoldering pile of wreckage. On
board was a mix of military service members, government-employed civilians, and contractors. The plane's manufacturer, Boeing, has confirmed two of its
employees were on the flight.
Josh Campbell's with me.
So we've got the details. And more people on board than we knew at this time yesterday, Josh.
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I mean, we look at those images where you see that large black burn scar there near the
airfield at Edwards Air Force Base. The moment we saw those images and that towering smoke, I mean, it seemed very likely that there would have been
survivors here.
Sadly, the US military now confirming that all of the crew members that were on board are indeed deceased. They still don't know why this actually
occurred. We don't have any indication that there was any type of radio distress call that went out before this crash actually happened -- actually
happened. This happened at 11:20 a.m. local time yesterday as the aircraft was taking off.
Take a listen here to the US military. They provide an update yesterday from the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COL. JAMES HAYES, U.S. AIR FORCE: It took off and immediately after takeoff crashed and burst into flames. This was a mixed crew of military
government civilians and government contractors. After reviewing the footage of the crash, it was deemed that this was an unrecoverable crash
and unsurvivable. At this point, we don't have any indication as to what the cause was of this. We won't be able to release that information and we
don't have an ability to get that anytime soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMPBELL: Now, there isn't a timeline on when that investigation will be complete. We expect that that will indeed be thorough.
This type of plane, Max, is one that is one of the U.S. military's workhorse bombers that are used for global military operations that were
used, for example, in the U.S.-Iran conflict, other military operations. They continually do these test flight missions. We're told that this was a
test of a radar system that was on that plane that was taking place whenever this crash occurred.
The last fatal incident involving this aircraft finally happened back in 2008. That was when one of these B-52 bombers went down into the Pacific
Ocean off the coast of Guam -- Max.
FOSTER: Okay, Josh, appreciate the update. Thank you.
Coming up, U.S. politics, why more and more Americans say they don't like the Democrats or the Republicans. Is there another choice?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:22:30]
FOSTER: A growing number of Americans are saying don't call me a Democrat or a Republican. A new poll finds almost half of Americans say they are
independent and don't identify with either of the two major political parties. There's been a shift away from Republicans since President Donald
Trump won the White House for a second time in 2024. The number of Americans who call themselves independents has surged, though, in recent
years and is now at its highest point in more than a decade.
So what we want to know is why are Americans turning away from the two main political parties?
Joining me now, Jeff Zeleny, our chief U.S. national affairs correspondent.
So is it, Jeff, disillusionment in the parties or a fundamental shift in politics?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: I mean, Max, I think it's a bit of both, but certainly there's no doubt that the
disillusionment and just the bad branding of both parties, Republicans and Democrats, something that's certainly leading to this, particularly among
younger Americans. I mean, gone are the days when your political identity is something that you firmly believe that your parents did or in a way your
grandparents did. It just is not the makeup of one's identity.
But some of these numbers are really quite striking, particularly this one. If you look at the share of Republicans who have effectively abandoned the
party and become independents since 2024, it is quite striking. Let's look at these numbers.
In November of 2024, when Donald Trump was elected, 41 percent right there said they were Republicans, now only 35 percent. That's a 6 percent shift.
Democrats have largely stayed the same. Independents, of course, have gone up.
So that is a worrisome sign for the Republican Party, just in terms of the brand of the party in this the moment. But when you also look at what the
partisan leanings are, that doesn't necessarily mean that Democrats are benefiting from this, because the branding issues of Democrats are also
quite problematic.
But if you look at this, if you lean toward a particular party, if you ask voters if they lean toward someone Democrats, there are 39 percent,
Republicans, 37 percent. But 25 percent, a quarter of all voters, so they don't lean at all. So that is an opportunity for some politicians, but also
a challenge to try and nail people down on specific issues.
And finally, if you look at the age, and age is really an undercurrent of all of this. So younger voters just simply do not identify with the
political parties in ways previous generations have. Fifty-five percent, more than a majority of younger voters, age 18 do a 44 identify as
independents, and over 45, only 39 percent do.
[15:25:05]
So, Max, the bottom line here is this isn't all that surprising, but it is a huge change in politics overall and a challenge for both parties. It
leads to the question, will there ever be an independent presidential candidate? Will there be a successful one?
That is still very much an open question, because this two-party system here in the U.S. is still so dominating. The question is for how long that
will last.
FOSTER: It's going to make the elections more interesting, isn't it?
Jeff, thank you so much.
ZELENY: You bet.
FOSTER: So if you want another metaphor for how Washington is broken, just look at the reflecting pool of the Lincoln Memorial right now. A few days
ago, the Trump administration finished its much-heralded renovation at a cost of more than $13 million. That's when it looked like this.
And this is it today. After painting the pool in what the White House called American flag blue, the pool actually turned a murky shade of green,
almost luminescent. It's algae. It's returned.
And today's plan from the Trump administration was to dump gallons of hydrogen peroxide into the pool. One worker told CNN on Tuesday it would
take an entire lifetime to clean.
Still to come, SpaceX shares off to the moon. After an historic stock market debut, SpaceX shares are soaring beyond another tech giant. So we'll
tell you which one after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Right now, we know the U.S. agreement with Iran comes with an end to the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, the reopening of the Strait of
Hormuz, and 60 days of negotiations then to cover Iran's nuclear program.
[15:30:08]
U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed soon to go public with the full text of the agreement. His vice president, J.D. Vance, says even if Iran doesn't
comply, incredible damage has been done to their nuclear program and Americans can move on. At an event in Austria, former U.S. Vice President
Kamala Harris was on a panel with CNN's Elex Michelson and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. She took aim at President Trump
over his tentative Iran deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: First of all, this is a war the American people did not want. This is a war of choice. This is a president
who has proven himself to be entirely self-indulgent.
And we will see what happens in the coming hours and days in terms of the negotiation and really it's a concept of an agreement and where it ends up.
But there is no question that there is a direct correlation between this war of choice and what has happened in terms of gas prices.
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But to be clear, if you were president, you'd never start this war?
HARRIS: Absolutely not. Absolutely not. And let's be clear about this. Let's be clear about this. Thank you, Tim.
Let's be clear about this. Whatever is being negotiated, this president is going to declare victory and will end up where we were after the JCPOA and
call that a victory, the JCPOA that he withdrew from.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: What we don't know is will the new Iran agreement be any better than Barack Obama's Iran deal?
Joining us now, Max Boot, senior fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Thanks for joining us, Max. I mean, difficult to know isn't it without seeing it.
MAX BOOT, SENIOR FELLOW, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Well, there is no nuclear agreement as far as we can tell based on what's being leaked about
the memorandum of understanding it's really an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and then to negotiate about Iran's nuclear accord, so it
doesn't do anything really as far as I can see to constrain the Iranian nuclear program.
I mean, all you have to know is that in 2018 when President Trump exited the JCPOA, Iran had no highly enriched uranium. The JCPOA limited Iran to
enriching to the 3.75 percent level. Today, Iran has more than 1,000 pounds of highly enriched uranium enriched to a 60 percent level, which is just
below weapons grade.
So that's a huge fail on Donald Trump's part. And essentially, he's now trying to clean up with the war and further negotiations what he screwed up
by exiting the JCPOA. But it's far from clear what, if anything, he's going to achieve in terms of Iran's nuclear program.
FOSTER: And the question is, what has he achieved with this war as well? Because some arguing that -- obviously, there's been damage done to Iran,
but it could come out ultimately stronger than it was at the beginning of the war, especially if it negotiates enough into this new agreement over
the next few months.
BOOT: Iran has been hurt to some extent by the war. It has suffered real damage, but it's also been able to flex its strategic muscles because for
years, experts have been warning about Iran's ability to close down the Strait of Hormuz, which is the waterway through which 20 percent of the
world's oil flows. But Iran had never actually closed it before and now they closed it and we saw that there was no viable military option on the
part of the U.S. to reopen it.
And so that is a threat that looms over the global economy, even if Iran now lifts their blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. And basically what's
happening in this memorandum of understanding, Trump is lifting the sanctions on Iran in return for Iran, lifting its blockade of the Strait of
Hormuz. So essentially, we are paying Iran to do something that they were doing before the war started, which was to allow unimpeded maritime use of
the Strait of Hormuz.
So, it's -- I don't -- Trump is going to try to spin this as a big victory, but I don't think any credible observer would come to that conclusion.
FOSTER: How do you think it's worked strategically for the U.S. in the long term? Because I think people had visions of Iran being destroyed, the
U.S. military showing its might. But in a way, haven't we learned where the limits are to U.S. might with this process?
And might China, for example, be looking at this and be considering what it means for them?
[15:35:04]
BOOT: I mean, it's complicated to translate the lessons of this conflict into a very different strategic theater, like a conflict with China. But I
think it clearly reinforces the lessons that we've been learning for many decades back to Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, which is that for all of
its military power, the U.S. struggles to translate tactical military success into political or strategic success. And clearly, in this case,
even though we -- the U.S. and Israel, were able to bomb Iran at will, we weren't able to overthrow their regime. We weren't able to end their
support for proxies like Hezbollah. We weren't able to end their missile program.
And we certainly were not able to end their threat against the Strait of Hormuz. It remains to be seen whether we're going to be able to end their
nuclear program. So far, there's no evidence of that happening either. So clearly, this -- you know, I don't know if President Trump is capable of
being humble, but this should be a humbling experience for him because this is really revealing the limits of American military might.
FOSTER: I don't know if I could ask you a question about a separate story that we've had today from Europe, which is about this Russian warship
firing warning shots to a U.K. yacht. It wasn't in U.K. waters, but it was in the English Channel. This is in the context of the British military
saying that they're not prepared for any sort of conflict with Russia. I mean, I'm not taking it there, but it has concerned a lot of people here in
London that a Russian military ship would be so bold in European waters.
BOOT: It is very concerning. I think it's a reaction to the fact that the Royal Navy, along with the French Navy and others, are starting to enforce
sanctions on Russia by going after their shadow fleet of oil tankers that are surreptitiously exporting sanctioned oil from Russia. And this seems
like the Russians pushing back.
I certainly hope that NATO and the European Union will have a very strong response to this Russian aggression in the English Channel. And I think
part of that response should be to double down on the seizures of the Russian fleet exporting sanctioned oil.
And I hope that President Trump now will not renew the waiver for Russian oil sanctions that he implemented during the war with Iran. I think it's
important to crack down on Russian oil sales because they're clearly losing the battle in Ukraine, and it's essential to keep the economic pressure on
Russia so that they can't regroup and that they will be forced to finally end their aggression against Ukraine.
FOSTER: Okay, Max Boot in New York, thank you so much for bringing us showing some light on those quite murky subjects right now.
Now, it is the final moments of trade on Wall Street. Meanwhile, stocks are up, the Dow Jones continuing recent gains since the Iran-U.S. agreement was
announced. Today, going past 52,000 points.
This is your Business Breakout.
Oil futures have continued to plunge as traders bet on a rapid reopening of the Strait of Hormuz moves. Brent crude the world benchmark tumbled below
$80 a barrel today. Goldman Sachs estimates oil flows through the Persian Gulf will return to pre-war levels by the end of July, a month earlier than
originally forecast.
Pizza Hut is being sold in a deal worth $2.7 billion. Yum Brands is selling the struggling fast food chain to private equity firm Long Range Capital,
while its assets in China will be spun off in a separate deal. Pizza Hut announced it would close hundreds of sites across the U.S. earlier this
year after disappointing sales.
SpaceX shares have continued to soar after last week's historic stock market debut. Shares up 5 percent today to just over $200, but were up as
much as 10 percent earlier in the day. Shares in the company opened at $135 last week.
SpaceX's surging stock market -- stock price has now made it one of the most valuable companies in the world. Elon Musk's company is now bigger
than Amazon by market cap. I put SpaceX as the fifth most valuable company in the world, just trailing Microsoft.
David Goldman is in New York.
I mean, did you see this happening? And actually, what's it built on?
DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN B USINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Well, it's built on Elon Musk, right? So no one saw this happening. Usually when IPOs happen and
this had its initial public offering on Friday, you know, you see a nice little boost there.
Companies that IPO are not this mature typically. SpaceX is a mature company. It made almost $19 billion in revenue last year and it is growing
really, really fast. It grew by a third last year, but, and there's always a but, right?
It is spending gobs of money and most of that is because of its acquisition of xAI, Elon Musk's A.I. company. And that's a really expensive endeavor
because in addition to competing with OpenAI and competing with Anthropic, SpaceX has an ambition to send data centers into space on the rockets that
it owns, and then beam all that satellite -- all that signal back down in its satellite network, the Starlink satellite network.
And then today, for $60 billion, it bought Cursor, which is a competitor to Anthropic and OpenAI, their enterprise business, which is where all the
money is made in this. So last year alone, just on A.I., just on A.I., SpaceX spent more than $12 billion, leading to an almost $5 billion loss.
And in the first three months of this year, it spent almost $8 billion, and that's led to a more than $4 billion loss.
And yet, investors are saying, forget the whole thing. We don't care about the fundamentals necessarily. We believe in Elon Musk because people who
bet against Elon Musk traditionally lose money, people who are betting on him have made money. Despite all the promises that he hasn't kept despite
all the grandeur and the bluster people bet on Tesla and now people are betting on SpaceX and investors have a big fear of missing out on that
opportunity, Max.
FOSTER: Yeah, it's betting, as you say.
David, thank you.
GOLDMAN: Thank you.
FOSTER: Albania's Flamingo Revolution, meanwhile, entering a third week. Still to come, the new anti-corruption probe and calls for the prime
minister now to resign.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:45:09]
FOSTER: The Flamingo Revolution protest in Albania's capital now in their third week. The protest began in response to a luxury resort on an
environmentally sensitive coastline, but have since grown into a much larger corruption probe, with protesters calling for Prime Minister Edi
Rama to resign.
Our Isa Soares has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tens of thousands of people on the streets of Tirana demanding a new Albania. The largest anti-government
protest the country has seen since the fall of communism in 1991.
GERALD XHARI, PROTESTER: So, we don't have to sell our country, we don't have to sell our land to other investors.
SOARES (voice-over): The Flamingo Revolution, as it's dubbed, started in response to a proposed luxury development linked to President Trump's
daughter, Ivanka, and his son-in-law, and one of his chief negotiators, Jared Kushner. The real estate project includes two areas, Sazan Island on
the country's Adriatic coast, and some of the beachfront near the Zvernec Wetlands and the Narta Lagoon.
IVANKA TRUMP, DAUGHTER OF U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We were on a friend's boat, and we stopped for a swim. We swam to the islands, we went
on a hike barefoot all the way up to the top, and we were just captivated.
SOARES (voice-over): The coastline is a protected area, home to several endangered species, and a nesting site for thousands of flamingos.
Protesters fear the project will destroy the habitat, despite what Ivanka Trump has said previously.
TRUMP: We developed the opportunity to help realize its potential and transform it, but with a lot of restraint and care, because the land is so
beautiful.
SOARES (voice-over): Preliminary project documents seen by CNN show the project is intended to be massive in scale, with luxury villas, hotels with
hundreds of rooms, a marina, and even a golf course, a casino, and a water park. They also reveal one of Kushner's partners in the Sazan development
is the Qatari-based Assets Group, owned by Moutaz and Ramez Al-Khayyat, Syrian-born Qatari-based billionaires with deep ties to the Qatari royal
family. Both were at President Trump's inauguration.
Their other brother, Mohamad, not a stranger to Washington either, he lobbied Congress to lift sanctions on Syria, proposing to build a golf
course with President Trump's name in Syria. Sazan Real Estate Development LLC confirms Ramez and Moutaz are both involved but said the project is
still in its design phase and that they are prioritizing environmental stewardship.
Their partnership very important for the Kushners, as was that of Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama.
JARED KUSHNER, SON-IN-LAW OF U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We were on our friend Nat Rothschild's boat one of the nights there, Prime Minister Rama
came to the boat. I had not met him when I was in government.
SOARES (voice-over): His and his government support key, according to Kushner.
KUSHNER: And we felt. Like the environment was perfect, but without the great work of the team on the ground, our partners on the ground, and the
government really creating a very pro-growth environment, we would not have engaged in the project.
SOARES (voice-over): It is that so-called pro-growth environment demonstrators are now questioning, with protests demanding more
transparency in other areas, accusing those in power of corruption and calling on Prime Minister Rama to resign.
The Albanian prime minister has denied the accusations, and in his weekly podcast rallied against protesters.
EDI RAMA, ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The fascist spirit is the spirit that says Albania belongs to the Albanians, so all the others
outside are not welcome. Just as Germany was for the Germans and became the black sheep of Europe for years and years.
SOARES (voice-over): Rama has vowed to push past the concerns of the thousands of Albanians who have come out in protest, claiming the project
will transform the country for the better, but with demonstrations going into their third week, it's hard to see this flamingo revolution bucking
down.
Isa Soares, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Now after an intense World Cup opener, Iran's coach says his team was forced to head immediately back to Mexico.
Coming up, what the U.S. is saying about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:51:59]
FOSTER: One of the biggest match-ups of the World Cup group stage currently underway, France versus Senegal. They are playing in New Jersey.
It's just outside New York City. Fans in both countries are, as you might expect, glued to the screens.
Live images for you now. Score currently nil-nil, though, as we approach halftime. Despite complaints from Iran's coach, meanwhile, the U.S.
government says Iran's football team was always expected to return to its training base in Mexico immediately after its World Cup opener in Los
Angeles. The coach says players were forced to fly back to Mexico just hours after their 2-2 draw with New Zealand.
CNN's Don Riddell joins us now with the very latest -- Don.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Hey, how are you doing? Yeah, perhaps that was what the US government thought the Iran team was always going to do,
but remember the original plan was that they were going to be based in Arizona, and it was only when they weren't allowed to stay in the United
States because of the situation and the tensions between the two countries that they had to set up camp just over the border in Tijuana, Mexico.
So, yesterday, they made their way into Los Angeles to play their opening game against New Zealand, and the Iranian team did really well, twice
coming from behind to force a two-all draw. It was an absolutely thrilling game. Both teams deserved something out of the game. Perhaps in the end,
the Iranian team might even have won it. But it was the words of the Iranian coach afterwards that certainly made all the headlines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMIR GHALENOEI, IRAN COACH (through translator): I want to talk about the unfair treatment of Iran's national team. We spent so much time on the air
that I think we were hardly ever on the ground. We were not given the opportunity to come two weeks earlier so that we could adapt and get
acclimated. Even tonight, immediately after the match, we were told that we had to leave here, even though tonight is critically important for our next
match when we need to recover and prepare ourselves. But instead, we have to get on a plane and return to Tijuana. I should tell you that Iran's
national team may be the most unfairly treated team in the history of the World Cup.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: So he might have a point given that that game was in Los Angeles. Now they've had to fly back to Mexico. And their next game on Sunday will
be back in Los Angeles against Belgium.
So, clearly, not an ideal situation for the Iran team. And the coach there certainly making headlines with his comments after the game.
FOSTER: OK, Don, thank you very much.
Japan's fans are winning praise off the pitch once again, meanwhile. After matches, supporters have been spotted cleaning the stands, collecting
trash, and leaving their sections spotless. It's a World Cup tradition that's become almost as famous as the football itself.
CNN's Hanako Montgomery takes a closer look at the culture behind this gesture.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Japanese fans are cleaning up after themselves at the World Cup again. This goes viral at almost every major
soccer tournament as the Internet and FIFA marvel at how responsible and respectful the Japanese are.
[15:55:01]
Fans had trash bags ready and even the players were praised for leaving their locker rooms spotless.
Japan's fans first went viral online for this at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. But the idea of leaving a place cleaner than you found it has long
been a part of Japan's soft power and culture. Japanese people even grow up learning how to clean their own classrooms.
Japan actually has very few public trash cans because you're expected to bring your garbage home with you. And now this simple gesture has become
one of the World Cup's most enduring traditions.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Unbelievable.
Finally tonight, watch out, Wimbledon, the Williams sisters are reigniting their legendary partnership. The All England club says Serena and Venus
will play doubles together at the Grand Slam, which gets underway in less than two weeks now. So far in their career, the Williams sisters have won
14 Grand Slam titles together in doubles, including six at Wimbledon.
I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Do stay with CNN.
END
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